Cross Chronicles
by Hejin57
Summary: The kind of crossover that was said to be impossible! With characters from Gurren-Lagann, History's Strongest Disicple Kenichi, and other animes, this takes place in the Valkyria Chronicles universe. The source of all this insanity? Haruhi Suzumiya!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, hello, willing readers! **

**This is Hejin's newest story, and it represents his short break from his Haruhi series. Since I've been writing the Haruhi stories all the way from last April, this story is a new brainchild of mine that I've been wanting to get out for a while.**

**I've always had a dream of creating an amazing crossover story. Despite appearances, this is a different kind of crossover. This crossover incorporates The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya [of course], Valkyria Chronicles, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Midori no Hibi, History's Strongest Disicple Kenichi, Fate/Stay Night and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.**

**I know the idea is pretty crazy, but if you liked any of my Haruhi works, I do suggest giving this story a chance. Though a lot of characters make appearances in this story, they certainly do not all appear at once. I want this to go at a relatively believable pace. This takes place in the Valkyria Chronicles universe, but since I'd rather not ruin it for you, I'll just let you read along for yourself. Questions will be revealed in time, and the goal of this is to make a believable crossover that actually makes sense in the end. For now, enjoy the upcoming adventure, drama, humor, and of course, romance.**

**Thanks again for the read, and hope you enjoy what could hopefully be the next crossover epic!  
**

_

The universe.

Despite all that humans might believe, the concept of the universe is only a small, almost miniscule part of a much more grand design. A single universe makes up nothing more than a speck in the entirety of a much larger multiverse. Even still, the multiverse is only a part of the supposed largest denomination of existence, called the omniverse. All these things together make up what is known as reality.

For the most part, the various universes have forever remained separated from one another, like many layers of cloth folded on each other. Each is unique, with their own versions of the planet Earth, its solar system, and the surrounding planets and stars. Specific details within each universe are also subject to major differences. On one Earth, humans could be nothing more than a dying race, having forced to live underground for hundreds of years in fear of robot-piloting Beastmen on the surface. On yet another Earth, magic exists as a powerful and omnipresent force, granting existence to warrior-like familiars known as Servants, while on some other Earth, a totalitarian superpower known as the Holy Empire of Britannia holds control over the once free nation of Japan, renaming it "Area 11".

And on one Earth, there is someone that can radically affect just about every other universe in existence. On one Earth, a single human girl has the immense untapped power to destroy the entire omniverse, and create it anew in but a few moments.

This is a story about one girl who changes the fates of many, with but a single thought. This is a story about reality tearing apart for a brief moment, and mending itself back together into something new.

But what exactly will come from all this? Who will be affected? And what universe will take the brunt of this dimensional chaos?

In all honesty, only time will tell.

_

_Hejin57 Presents..._

_**~~~~CROSS CHRONICLES~~~~**_

–

**TIME: 5:10 PM**

**LOCATION: JAPAN**

**_**

"....I'm so bored! Just why does everything have to be so boring?!?"

The cry of Haruhi Suzumiya was loud enough to reach the outside of North High, clearly expressing her discontent of her current situation. She gritted her teeth in annoyance, staring at a blank internet browser on the computer screen in front of her. She was unable to figure just why she couldn't keep herself entertained at this very moment.

Nearby, Kyon could do nothing less but sigh. He really couldn't think of response that would satiate Haruhi's lust for excitement, and he certainly didn't feel like putting in the effort to come up with one.

"Don't sound so carefree, Kyon. This is a very serious problem!" Haruhi barked, as Kyon's current attitude had only made her more annoyed than she already was. She glared at her lowly SOS Brigade member, and wondered why he could be so laid-back at a time like this. Kyon just tried his best to ignore her death glare, and tried to drift into the comfort of his thoughts.

_I'll just try to keep my composure now. Submitting to her immaturity will bring me absolutely no gain._

"Problem? I'm just trying to keep my sanity..." Kyon mumbled under his breath. Haruhi's voice seemed to rise in volume.

"What was that?"

Kyon looked back at his Brigade Chief, and relaxed in his chair despite the vicious look she was throwing at him.

_I need a break from all this..._

"Nothing." Kyon said quietly, leaving Haruhi dissatisfied. She crossed her arms, and threw her head back, staring up at the ceiling out of pure boredom. The clubroom was relatively quiet and empty today, save for only Haruhi and Kyon. Itsuki Koizumi had left early for his supposed "job", and shortly after, Mikuru Asahina had left as well with her own business to attend to.

Kyon's suspicions told him that it had something to do with both of their respective organizations more than anything else. Since Haruhi was the equivalent of what some might call a deity, she was prone to causing quite a lot of problems to quite a lot of people on a daily basis. With three separate organizations constantly keeping tabs on her, Haruhi was quite popular, much to Kyon's displeasure.

It was strange. Even Yuki Nagato, the silent, book-obsessed alien had left them. Kyon was confused by this the most. In his mind, it was almost as if all three of them had been in a hurry to leave them alone in the clubroom.

_I really hope they don't have strange thoughts on their minds._

Kyon didn't want to think about that possibility; the one that involved a situation where he and Haruhi were alone like this. In fact, it could be a good idea for him to leave, and let the possibility of anything weird happening between them diminish.

"I should probably go." Kyon said, standing up from his chair. Haruhi's body suddenly felt charged with electricity, and she stood up just as quickly. She couldn't let him leave just yet.

"Wait! You can't go!"

Kyon raised an eyebrow. He held in the urge to groan at this very moment.

_You have got to be kidding me..._

"Why not?" he asked, hoping that Haruhi wouldn't give him some ridiculous or nonsensical answer.

Haruhi's turned her face, and she put on an uneasy expression. As forceful as she sounded, she couldn't actually think of a reason for him to stay with her. It was getting late, and no doubt North High would be closing up soon. Itsuki, Mikuru and Yuki had already left, so what reason did Haruhi have to convince Kyon in staying?

"Well..."

Haruhi was trailing off now. She couldn't think of anything to say. She was feeling stupid right now.

Kyon just sighed again and reached for his bag on the floor. It was obvious to him that Haruhi was out of it today. He figured it was a good idea to use this day as a long-deserved break from her.

"Well, I think I'll be going. We can always discuss your plans for making the world weirder than it already is another day." Kyon commented nonchalantly, and headed for the door to the clubroom. Haruhi's face was twisting in annoyance, and she didn't like the fact that he would dare just leave her like this. She cursed herself for not obtaining a more obedient club member.

"Stop! Your Brigade Chief commands you to halt!" Haruhi shouted at the top of her lungs.

Kyon stopped in his tracks, and he put a hand to his forehead, sighing deeply.

_Why did I join this club again? Oh, that's right. I was forced to join!  
_

"Don't you get it, Kyon? Everything became so boring in just a week! Nothing even remotely interesting has happened, and I refuse to be satisfied with that! Do you want something more exciting to happen around here? Don't you want something more fun?"

_There is a big difference between your definition of fun and the one found in a dictionary, Haruhi._

"I'm sorry that I can't make the world more exciting." Kyon replied to Haruhi in a low voice that was filled with sarcasm, his back still facing her. If she hadn't been so oblivious, she would have figured out by now that excitement was almost always around her. She was a literal god. She just didn't know it.

Haruhi crossed her arms. That comment had officially ticked her off.

"Then I'm sick of this world! Why can't it be something different? Why can't we live in a world where excitement is just around the corner?" Haruhi exclaimed, and her voice boomed throughout the entire clubroom. In fact, it probably was loud enough to have been heard by anyone walking right outside by North High. Kyon figured that person would be wondering just what the hell she was talking about. It was then that the force of Haruhi's statement hit him.

_Wait..._

Kyon turned around like a top, his body suddenly feeling tense as the words coming out of Haruhi's mouth fully made sense in his mind. He could feel a chill rapidly running down his spine.

"Why can't we live in a more exciting world, Kyon? Answer me that." Haruhi directly asked him, her eyes serious and not a hint of regret in her voice.

Kyon's bag slid out of his grip, and he knew in an instant that this situation had taken a very wrong turn. He had enough experience with Haruhi Suzumiya by now. He knew fully well that bad things happened when she became this melancholic. If he didn't do something, this situation would spiral out of control.

"Haruhi, think of what you're sa-"

Kyon stopped in mid-sentence. Something interrupted his thought process. It was a sound, and it was building up in his ears.

It continued to grow with each passing second, and it was like a powerful ringing that just wouldn't stop. His head throbbed in discomfort from the annoying noise, and when he looked at Haruhi, she didn't seem to take any notice to it. She just continued to glare at him, as if he had wronged her with some unforgivable crime.

Kyon tried to speak, to call out to Haruhi, but his voice felt constricted. It was almost as if an anaconda was wrapped around his neck, and it was crushing his voice box.

Finally, the ringing sound stopped, and everything became silent. Haruhi was still looked like she didn't even know what was going on. Kyon could feel sweat on his brow, and a momentary relief washed over him. He let his body relax.

_Damn. I was genuinely afraid for a second..._

As if he had to be contradicted immediately, a powerful burst of azure light flashed in front of Kyon, and he could hear a loud roaring noise as a vortex of cerulean energy encompassed him. Kyon could feel himself being sucked towards this vortex, as if it was a miniature black hole that had popped up right in the middle of the SOS Brigade clubroom. He called to Haruhi again, more panicked than ever, but it was already too late, as the vortex fully claimed his body, causing the world to disappear from underneath his feet.

Another second passed, and the blue light flashed out in a bang as quickly as it came.

The clubroom was empty now. Kyon's bag was still on the floor, now discarded.

He, along with Haruhi Suzumiya, had both been whisked away as quickly as feathers in the wind.

_

**TIME: 1:15 PM**

**LOCATION: GALLIA, EUROPA**

**_**

Welkin Gunther smiled wide. He had been lucky today. These light trout were abundant enough in this river that he could sketch them for as long as he wanted. Reaching into one of his jacket pockets, he pulled out his sketchbook, and he began the patient process of sketching one of these tiny fish onto one of its pages.

He enjoyed days like this, where he could sit down and enjoy nature's beauty. Right now, he didn't have to fear anything, and the sound of the trickling river was like music to Welkin. The Gallian countryside felt almost untouched, with the sun above shining down on both the fresh grass and tall trees alike.

As Welkin continued to sketch, he began to hear a sound building up in his ears. It was a low ringing, which increased in volume as the seconds passed. Soon, it began to become overbearing, and Welkin found himself losing focus on his sketching as it continued. He put one hand to his head, which was throbbing because of this terrible noise. Below him, the light trout he had been sketching were scattering all around, blindly bumping into each other as if they were utterly confused of where exactly they were swimming.

Welkin silently pleaded for the noise to stop, dropping his sketchbook on the ground below as he did so. Finally, the sound came to a stop, and the world became eerily silent.

Welkin opened his eyes, and took his hands away from his ears. He looked from side to side, wondering where that terrible noise had originated from. He suddenly felt very confused.

A burst of azure light, accompanied by a loud splash, alerted Welkin almost immediately, causing him to turn towards the source of the disturbance. His eyes widened.

Two people were now both partially sitting in the river, as if they had fallen into it. One of them was a girl, who looked no more than at least sixteen years of age. She was dressed in manner that made it seem like she might have been part of the Gallian Navy. She had an orange hairband in her chestnut brown hair, and from the look on her face, she didn't look very happy.

Next to her was a taller boy, who was wearing what looked like a nice, but slightly disheveled blue blazer, complete with brown pants. His red tie was sopping wet, and unlike the girl's annoyed expression, he looked confused out of this mind.

"Where did this stupid river come from?" Haruhi exclaimed in an angry voice, as she literally pulled something slimy from hair, which was none other than one of the light trout that Welkin had been sketching before.

Kyon, on the other hand, was more worried about just where he was rather than how soaked he was. He looked side to side, wondering how they had suddenly gone from the clubroom to a beautiful countryside.

_What is this? What the hell did you do, Haruhi?_

"Stupid fish!" Haruhi said loudly, shaking her head back and forth to make sure that she got all of them out of her hair. She felt terrible right now, and the fact that she was the only one who seemed to be suffering was only making everything worse.

"Excuse me...but you probably shouldn't be so rough with those light trout. They're very delicate fish."

Welkin's voice, though calm, easily caught both Haruhi and Kyon's attention. He had become very curious, especially since these two strangers seemed very unfamiliar with their current surroundings.

"Just who are you?" Haruhi asked, standing up so she wouldn't be sitting in the river any longer. She still didn't look very happy, and Kyon remained mostly silent next to her as he stood up as well.

"Ah, my name is Welkin Gunther. Are you two from outside of Gallia? You sound like you don't know this place very well." Welkin asked innocently, not knowing the nature of these two newcomers. Kyon was the first to figure out what he asked them, and it only caused him to worry.

_What did he just say? Gallia? What the hell is Gallia?_

"I'm sorry...but can you say that again? I'm not familiar with any Gallia." Kyon said without enthusiasm in his voice. Either he was just imagining things, or this situation was getting worse as time continued to pass.

"Hey! I should be the one asking questions here, Kyon. You forget that there is something called a chain of command!" Haruhi exclaimed without thinking. Since her mood was already bad enough, she didn't like it one bit that Kyon was the one trying to take charge. That was her job.

Kyon just hit himself in the forehead.

_Why her? Why not Asahina-san? This universe is too cruel._

"You're not familiar with Gallia? Just where are you two from?" Welkin asked, suddenly even more curious than he was before. Were these two from beyond Europa? He didn't know much when it came to topic, but there was always talk about what went on beyond their own continent. He could feel a tinge of excitement in his heart.

"What do you mean where are we from? What is this place...Germany or something?" Haruhi asked, now feeling confused herself. Now that she was simmering down, her attention was changing and focusing more on where exactly she and Kyon had gone. One minute, they'd been in the clubroom, and Kyon was trying to say something to Haruhi in a very quiet voice. The next minute, they had found themselves sitting in the middle of a shallow river, with fish sliding around in her hair.

"Germany? This is Gallia." Welkin replied, scratching the back of his head. These two were certainly a confusing him quite a bit. However, something else caught his attention almost immediately, and it was the sound of someone cocking a rifle towards them. Welkin turned, and at the same time, so did Haruhi and Kyon.

"Don't try anything. I'm not afraid to fire!"

Standing only a few feet away was a young girl, wearing a Gallian Militia uniform and holding a rifle in her hands, which was pointed directly at Welkin. She wore a red scarf separating her light brown hair into pigtails. She had a serious expression on her face, and her grip on the rifle didn't falter one bit.

_What...what did we do? What the hell?_

Kyon felt confused and scared at the time, and unable to tell which feeling was more prominent in his mind. Welkin was equally as confused as him, but not as afraid. Haruhi didn't know what to think, and wondered if someone was trying to play some sort of trick on her. She slightly suspected Kyon.

"That's right. Alicia-san will shoot you if she has to!" a young boy wearing a large helmet and sporting a Gallian uniform said from behind the girl. His companion was standing right beside him, and like the girl they had just referred to as Alicia, they too were armed with rifles.

"W-Wait a second! We didn't even do anything!" Kyon said suddenly, his voice a bit panicked. He still didn't get the situation, but the idea of little kids brandishing guns like this was really beginning to scare him quite a bit. He gulped, and wondered how long it would be till he was riddled with bullet holes.

"Be quiet, spies! I know what your agenda here is, and as long as I can have my eye on you three, I'm not letting you get away with anything!" Alicia said with a serious tone, moving closer towards Welkin, Haruhi and Kyon, while her two subordinates followed right behind her. Suspicion was definitely clear in Alicia's eyes.

"Just who do you think you're talking to? I'm the leader of the SOS Brigade, so point your guns somewhere else!" Haruhi exclaimed with equal vigor. There was something about this girl she really, really didn't like.

_Is she insane?!?_

Kyon grabbed Haruhi by the arm before she could move any further. He pulled her slightly close, and whispered in her ear.

"You want to get killed? Those aren't fake guns!"

Haruhi gritted her teeth, and pushed Kyon off of her. She glared back at Alicia, who was slightly confused by the behavior of these "spies". She figured she would interrogate them after she knew they wouldn't be able to try anything funny.

"Tie them up, you two! Make sure you're careful about it, too. These spies could very well be armed." Alicia commanded to her two subordinates. The two boys nodded, and they both approached Haruhi, Kyon and Welkin, taking no time in making them put their hands behind their backs as they proceeded to arrest them. Kyon didn't resist at all, Welkin did the same, and Haruhi considered struggling before she realized that perhaps Kyon's words made some sense. In a matter of minutes, all three were tied up, and Alicia felt satisfied.

"There are consequences for doing this to the SOS Brigade! Don't think you'll get off easy!" Haruhi growled in a threatening manner, while Kyon remained silent, more fearful of his life than anything else. Welkin seemed oddly calm about the situation, and Kyon envied him for that greatly.

_Great. We've been captured by strange people, and we still didn't even know where the hell we were._

"I don't know what this "SOS Brigade" is, but if there are more spies like you in it, than we'll make sure to arrest all of them as well. We're not going to tolerate Imperials coming into Bruhl uninvited!"

Alicia didn't show it, but she was beginning to feel a little confused. These people were strange. And the man with them was oddly quiet as well.

"Now follow me. You're going to headquarters for questioning." Alicia said, motioning for Welkin, Haruhi and Kyon to follow.

"Um...can you get my sketchbook for me? I seemed to have dropped it." Welkin said quietly, causing Alicia to turn quickly and put on an annoyed face. He felt slightly uneasy, but nevertheless, he tried to remain as calm as possible in this situation.

"I got it, Alicia-san!" one of her two subordinates said, picking up the tiny book and handing it to her. Alicia flipped through it quickly, and she raised an eyebrow when all it was full of was sketches of bugs, fish and plants. She gave Welkin a weird look, wondering just what he was doing sketching by the river if he was really some sort of spy.

"What kind of trick is this?" Alicia said as she closed the sketchbook. She was beginning to wonder just what exactly was up with these three.

Welkin sighed, before looking straight at Alicia with the most serious look he could muster.

"I don't care if you think I'm a spy, but these two don't even know what Gallia is. I doubt they're spies, and whether or not you want to believe me, I'm not one either." Welkin said in a sincere voice. When he was finished speaking, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye that almost made his face drain color. Alicia looked back at him strangely. It was as if he was staring at her, and her face was turning red from embarrassment.

"W-What are you looking at?" she said in an annoyed tone, before Welkin suddenly rushed forward, and he pushed Alicia down to the ground with the momentum of his body. Around the same time, a gunshot rang out, and a bullet flew through the air right where Alicia's head had just been, hitting the ground only a few feet from Kyon.

"We're under attack!"

Kyon was more than ready to raise the white flag, and hope that they would spare their lives, but his thoughts of surrendering were interrupted by Haruhi, who pushed her body into him and forced him closer to the ground. Meanwhile, Alicia had pushed Welkin off of her, and was firing into the nearby hills, unsure if that was even where the gunshot had come from.

"Jean! Miguro! Go back to Bruhl and tell them the Imperials are here! We can't afford them surprising the rest of the Militia!" Alicia shouted, taking another shot into a clump of trees ahead. To her surprise, it had hit its mark, causing an Imperial soldier to topple forward onto the grassy ground.

"Yes, Alicia-san!" the two young boys said in unison, as they quickly turned tail and ran back down the dirt road which lead to the small town of Bruhl.

"The SOS Brigade is under siege! You're to defend our name with your life, Kyon!" Haruhi said valiantly, despite the fact that both her and Kyon were till tied up. Alicia continued to fire off shots, and bullets whizzed over their heads as the Imperials retaliated from the safety of cover.

"Are you crazy?" Kyon replied, fearing that every second might be his last.

_This is some sort of punishment for something I did in a past life. That's definitely it._

"This way!" Welkin exclaimed, and when Kyon looked to his side, he could see that the guy had found his way towards an opening in the nearby forest. Wondering how he could have gotten there so fast, Kyon ignored Haruhi's commands, and ran towards who he thought was the most sensible person in this situation.

"Hey! Where are you going, you idiot? Cowards aren't accepted in my Brigade!" Haruhi shouted back at Kyon, following him as he ran after Welkin. Alicia was busy taking more shots, when she realized that her prisoners were actually escaping.

"Wha...get back here, you spies!"

With that, Alicia went into a sprint after her prisoners, and it wasn't long till the three were under the cover of the trees. Alicia had a seriously annoyed look on her face, and felt stupid for being so distracted and letting these three escape like this. At the same time, she hoped that Jean and Miguro would get back in time and warn everyone else of the coming Imperials. If they were lucky, most of the civilians would be able to make it out before the Imperials reached Bruhl.

Welkin's thoughts were more on reaching the house only some distance from here more than anything else. His sister had been waiting for him this entire time, and whether or not this Alicia girl believed he was a spy or not, he knew he would reach his sister Isara and make sure she knew he was alright.

Kyon was right behind him, and at this point, Haruhi had caught up to him, having not even broken a sweat. Alicia was dumbfounded at Haruhi's speed, but she increased her own in hopes of catching up with them. Twigs snapped underfoot as the four continued to run through the trees, and Welkin's hopes rose as he saw a large, abandoned-looking house coming into view in the distance.

"Where is this guy going?" Haruhi asked, despite the fact that Kyon was getting tired and didn't really want to talk while running. Nevertheless, he answered her between breaths.

"I don't have any idea, but I'd rather not stay put and get filled with bullets!"

As if answering a call, shots whizzed in front of Kyon and Haruhi, causing Kyon to almost trip over. Alicia was still gaining, but her expression became more annoyed as she watched the guy all the way in front retreat into a large house ahead, managing to open a door leading inside despite his hands being tied up. Shortly after, both the girl and the boy went inside after him, forcing Alicia to do nothing else but follow them. She cursed herself for being so stupid, and held onto her gun tightly as she ran through the open door into the large abandoned house.

Quickly, she shut the door inside behind her, and walked towards the first door she could see down a nearby hall. It was slightly ajar, and she could hear voices emanating from inside. Alicia narrowed her eyes, and made sure to be cautious in her approach.

"This is truly madness..."

"Quiet, Kyon! This is obviously some sort of conflict where the SOS Brigade is being targeted! We need to fight back!"

"Are you insane? This isn't some sort of game!"

Alicia crept closer, leaning against the wall, so as not to be seen. She peered inside, and spotted the three from before, their hands now untied, along with a young girl with dark blue hair. She was wearing a embroidered cape which signified she was a Darcsen. Alicia's suspicion rose greatly, and she kept a tight grip on her rifle as she kicked open the door.

"All of you, hands up! This is your first warning!" Alicia commanded, brandishing her rifle and making sure that her point was coming across. Welkin and Isara looked at Alicia with confused eyes, while Kyon was the first to raise his hands up in a surrendering fashion. He hated his own cowardice, but at the same time, he feared for his own well-being. Haruhi didn't respond to this threat.

"We're not afraid of you!"

Isara was looking up at Welkin, who couldn't think of what to do. This girl still was suspicious of them, and with a weapon in her hands, she could very well shoot them. Nodding to his sister, both Welkin and Isara raised their hands up. Haruhi was already looking from side to side, disgusted that she was the only one who refused to give up.

"Why is it that I'm the only one who isn't sca-"

Before Haruhi could finish her sentence, a powerful explosion rocked the entire room, causing Alicia to lose her balance and drop her rifle. It clattered on the ground towards Haruhi, who took no time in picking it up and pointing it directly towards Alicia, who was now kneeling on the ground with the gun barrel in front of her face. She could feel fear taking over.

"Ha! Now who's the one in charge? The Brigade Chief, that's who!" Haruhi said victoriously. Kyon quickly put a hand on her shoulder, and spoke in a serious voice, despite his fear of the situation.

"Just put the gun down, Haruhi. There's some sort of misunderstanding here." he said, causing Haruhi to give him a glare that almost signified that he should back off. Nevertheless, Haruhi absorbed the meaning of his words, and sighing in discontent, she slowly placed the rifle on the floor, causing Welkin and Isara to both become relieved. Kyon sighed as well, until he watched Alicia's eyes widen in an instant, and she grabbed the gun with lightning speed, pointing it directly towards them.

For a second, Kyon thought that the bullet fired was going straight towards Haruhi, but instead, he heard the sound of glass breaking behind him, and when he looked back, a solder clad in armor was falling backwards, having been shot by Alicia's bullet through the window behind them.

Haruhi was a bit shocked, and unable to figure out what to think about the situation. Meanwhile, Welkin walked forward, his sister beside him.

"There's an arms garage attached to this manor. It's safer in there than it is here."

Alicia didn't trust this guy completely yet, and something about this house was bugging her.

"Wait a minute! This is the house belongs to General Gunther, the famous Gallian war hero! Why is she even here? She's a Darcsen!"

Another explosion rocked the side of the manor, causing everyone to almost fall again. Welkin spoke quickly, knowing the situation was only getting worse.

"There's no time for explaining now! Just follow me!" he exclaimed, grabbing his sister's hand and running right past Alicia, who felt dumbfounded that this guy had just utterly swept her aside. Kyon looked at Haruhi, and though his Brigade Chief was still annoyed, she understood what the look on his face meant. As if almost mocking Alicia, the two of them followed Welkin and Isara, leaving Alicia by herself.

"Wha..." Alicia began to say, feeling useless even though she was the one armed. Another explosion could be heard, and finally convinced, Alicia turned tail and ran out of the room, following Kyon and Haruhi towards the garage.

When she finally got inside of the garage attached to the manor, Alicia closed the door behind her, and raising her rifle again, spoke with the most authoritative voice she could. Haruhi, Kyon, Welkin and Isara had already made themselves comfortable, but they all turned heads when they heard Alicia begin to speak.

"Alright! No more running away! I want some answers!"

Welkin looked at Isara, and Kyon at Haruhi. The first to speak was Welkin, who was leaning against something very large that took up most of the garage space. The thing in question was covered in a huge drapery cloth.

"Well...this is actually my father's house. That girl is my sister, Isara."

Alicia kept her rifle raised, moving closer. He suspicion seemed to almost increase as she heard more.

"What's your name?"

"Welkin Gunther. The General Gunther you're referring to is my father."

Alicia glanced back at Isara, who just gave her a neutral look. She still didn't trust Welkin yet. Something about his bugged her as much as this girl and her supposed "SOS Brigade".

"How can she be your sister? She's a Darcsen!"

Welkin rubbed the back of his head, unsure how to say his next statement. Meanwhile, Kyon was back to wondering where exactly they were, and why. He had a feeling this entire situation had something to do with what Haruhi had exclaimed before. He cursed under his breath.

"She's...an adoptive sister. We're not related by blood, but that doesn't mean we're not family." Welkin replied. He hoped that this girl would give up on her suspicions already. It was just causing unnecessary conflict.

"Well...who are these two? They could very well be spies!" Alicia exclaimed, pointing her gun at Haruhi and Kyon. Kyon backed away slightly, but Haruhi stood her ground.

"We are members of the SOS Brigade! I'm Haruhi Suzumiya, the Brigade Chief, and behind me is my subordinate, Kyon!"

Kyon looked at Haruhi like she had five heads.

_I should have expected this much from her..._

"To be honest, neither of us know where the hell we are. I was hoping someone could explain that." Kyon said in a low voice. He knew fully well that it was in Haruhi's nature to be so forward. He hoped that his more laid-back approach would help them survive this situation, considering they were probably in a war-zone now.

"You're in the town of Bruhl, in the country of Gallia. If you two were good spies, you would know that!" Alicia retorted. The fact that these two seemed utterly confused was beginning to tell her that they probably weren't affiliated with the Imperial Alliance at all.

"We're not spies!" Kyon protested.

Alicia glanced at him, and admitted that their was truth in his face. She glanced at Haruhi, and it almost seemed like lightning flashed when their eyes met. Though she didn't believe this girl was a spy of any sort, she disliked her already. She wasn't used to someone so brash like this Haruhi girl.

"Well, it doesn't matter what you are, because if we don't do something about these Imperials, then this entire town is going to be overrun. You're going to have to fight if you want to make it out of this alive." Alicia said with a strong tone of voice, before turning towards Isara and Welkin. Kyon looked shocked, while Haruhi seemed to perk up in excitement all of a sudden.

_Don't tell me...she got her wish...and now I have to suffer through this?_

"You said this is an arms garage? How many weapons do you have in here?"

"Enough." Welkin replied, opening up a large metal locker nearby, and revealing rifles piled on top of one another. Alicia's eyes lit up at the sight, while Kyon seemed to just feel worse. On the other hand, Haruhi grabbed one of the rifles before anyone could say anything, and she examined the gun like a little kid who had just gotten a new toy.

"With this...I will defend the honor of the SOS Brigade!" Haruhi announced as she held her rifle up high. Kyon was ready to hit himself in the forehead, when gunshots rang out, and the high window nearby shattered from the gunfire.

"Get down!"

It took only a few moments for the gunfire to stop, and Welkin already had a rifle slung over his back, making Kyon feel a little useless. Nevertheless, he grabbed one from the metal locker as well, and despite not knowing how to actually use it effectively, he knew it would be better than not having one at all.

"They've got us surrounded." Alicia said quietly. Judging from the source of the gunshots, she assumed the the hills were already littered with Imperials, and stepping outside of this manor now would be a death wish.

"...I don't like the sound of this." Kyon commented, already feeling like defeat was near. They were in a strange place, with strange people, and Kyon could already feel dread creeping down his spine like a serpent.

"There must be some way to break through this blockade!" Haruhi exclaimed just a little too loudly, and she was responded by the quiet voice of Isara, who was on the other side of the covered object that took up most of the garage.

"We have this." she said, before pulling off the drapery and revealing the thing underneath. It was a monstrous, light blue and white tank, with a long cannon on the top and treads that looked like they could easily crush anything in their way. Kyon and Haruhi were in awe, while Welkin was smiling next to a dumbstruck Alicia. The tank looked good as new, with not a single scratch anywhere on its frame.

"This was the tank that my father and stepfather built. It's called the Edelweiss." Isara said, before she began to clamber onto it's huge frame. Welkin followed her, looking back at Haruhi, Kyon and Alicia.

"You wanted a way past the Imperials? Here's our way. I suggest we get out of here before another bombardment comes." Welkin said as he stood on the support platform of the monstrous tank. Alicia looked up at him, and slowly, a smile formed on her face.

"It's Alicia Melchiott, by the way. I almost forgot about my own name." she replied with a nervous giggle. Welkin didn't know what to say, so he simply smiled back. Kyon was getting a strange vibe between these two already, despite just meeting them.

_Not that any of it is important right now..._

"Come on, Kyon! This is where it gets exciting!" Haruhi said in a happy voice, her hand already around Kyon's as she pulled him towards the Edelweiss. Alicia and Welkin were already getting in the top hatch, and Haruhi was more than eager to see just what it was like inside this tank. Kyon sighed, knowing fully well that whatever trouble Haruhi had caused was probably only starting. Nevertheless, he let her pull him along, and as the two climbed up the side of the Edelweiss towards the top of it, Kyon could only think of one thing.

_Guess I should have just stayed in the clubroom after all..._


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter for all my readers (if there are any)! At the end of this one, some new characters make their debut appearance! Hope you enjoy. :D**

__

Kyon could feel an unfamiliar darkness overwhelming him as he and Haruhi both proceeded to go down the top hatch leading into the interior of the Edelweiss. While he was much more scared than his Brigade Chief, he also couldn't help but feel somewhat excited by the situation before them.

_At least we might be somewhat safe in this huge tank..._

"This is so cool!" Haruhi said in am overexcited voice as she jumped down the rest of way instead of using the ladder hatch. Already excited out of her wits, and Haruhi marveled at the surprisingly large interior of this tank, while Kyon slowly came down the ladder behind her, envying her attitude of this situation.

"This was my father's pride and joy." Isara replied as she situated herself in the driver's seat, a smile on her face. Though she had been silent most of the time so far, she could already tell that these strangers weren't anything like the Imperials.

"It's certainly been well-designed...despite being a bit dated..." Kyon commented, his eyes scanning the various controls and other mechanical workings of this mammoth device. While this tank was large and imposing, Kyon was beginning to have a strange feeling that all of this reminded him just a bit too much of something from a bygone World War I era. Either way, he didn't feel like questioning the origins of this technology now, and taking a seat against one of the interior support platforms, he let himself relax slightly.

"We need to get back to Bruhl now!" Alicia stated in a worried voice. All this talking was taking everyone's mind out of the situation at hand, and that was the fact that they had been ambushed, and if they didn't act soon, Bruhl could very well be ambushed as well.

"Alright. Let's go, Isara." Welkin said from the gunner seat, his eyes already focusing themselves through the large tank binoculars which enabled him to see the enemy ahead. Isara nodded in the driver seat, and she started up the engine of the Edelweiss. Gripping onto the wheel, Isara put on a more serious face as the treads of the tank began to slowly lurch forward.

_Well...I don't think we're getting anywhere anytime soon at this pace..._

A loud hum could be heard, and in an instant, the tank's speed increased dramatically, and roared forward, causing both Kyon and Haruhi to almost lose their balance. Alicia felt hope rise in her heart, as just the speed of this tank was impressing her quite a bit.

_Never mind..._

Kyon held onto a nearby handhold, and tried his best to breathe normally as the tank sped forward, crashing through the wooden garage door before them. They were fully visible in the sunlight, and it was at this point that the Imperials fully became aware of their presence.

"They're going to try and block us off!" Alicia stated from what she could see while standing beside Isara. Welkin was already aiming the main cannon towards the multiple Imperial-class tanks and soldiers situated on the long dirt road ahead.

"Beat them up, Welkin!" Alicia barked back at the gunner, who raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Wouldn't I be blowing them rather than beating them up?" he asked innocently, causing Kyon to just hit himself in the forehead. Haruhi was ignoring the entire situation, more interested in watching Isara drive the tank more than anything else.

_There's something about this guy that I find very strange..._

"...just blow them up!" Alicia said in annoyance, before turning back to Isara's side. Welkin just felt even more confused, and just went back to gunning.

"...guys are such idiots sometimes..." Alicia quietly mumbled. She heard a voice speak from the other side of Isara.

"Tell me about it."

Haruhi knew exactly how she felt right now.

An explosion of dust and dirt caught everyone's attention almost immediately, signifying that the Imperials were unleashing their tank salvos upon them. Isara swerved the Edelweiss to a sharp right, dodging another tank shell that might have gotten them on their left flank.

In his gunner seat, Welkin let loose one of the Edelweiss's powerful tank shells, causing troops to scatter from the massive blast that the shot created. The powerful rocking sensation that accompanied the shots caused Kyon and Haruhi to both come close to losing their balance, with Haruhi being the one to grab Kyon by the arm and stop him from falling over. Kyon was fearful for his life again, while Haruhi seemed to be treating this more like an amusement park ride more than anything else. As the Imperials continued to fire, the Edelweiss's speed allowed it to avoid all of the shots, and before long, Isara had weaved the monstrous vehicle right through the Imperials that had tried to blockade them, leaving a trail of dirt and dust as the Edelweiss easily bypassed the Imperials.

"Just what kind of machine is that..." one of the Imperial officers said as he put down his binoculars. By this time, the Edelweiss was far in the distance, having outmatched them in both speed and power. His soldiers were already regrouping, and to avoid looking afraid, he barked down to them as loud as he could.

"Get back in formation! Onward towards the town!"

–

It wasn't too long of a ride back to Bruhl, but Kyon was just glad to be out of that life or death situation . He had been sweating slightly, but most of his worry had subsided by now, and he felt actually relaxed for once.

"Once we get back to Bruhl, we need to be ready for the Imperial advance. They're probably already chasing after us now." Alicia said to everyone else, as she checked the ammunition in her rifle. She had enough, but she still couldn't help but be worried anyway. There could very well be many more Imperials than just the ones they had seen.

"Why are we even here? Not to mention I still don't even get where here is!" Kyon said out of annoyance. He didn't want to be part of this war, and the fact that Haruhi could very well be the one who threw him into it along with her was just pissing him off even more. He could feel a headache coming on.

"You're...really not from here, are you?" Welkin asked, rubbing his chin in curiosity. Kyon gave him a sort of surprised look.

_What was your first hint!?!_

"None of that matters anyway! This place is way more exciting than North High anyway. I think we should stay with these people, Kyon." Haruhi announced, and Kyon could tell her good mood was overflowing now. She had gotten her wish.

Despite all the confusion behind this, Kyon was beginning to figure part of this problem out. Haruhi's statement had taken them somewhere else; somewhere he or she had never even heard of. He knew full well that Haruhi wasn't taking this seriously, and she could very well think it was all a just a dream or a big game. At the same time, he knew that he just couldn't tell her that her god-like powers where the cause of them being here. He was caught in a situation where his actions could compromise the very universe.

Kyon sighed deeply, and wished he could get some rest already. Welkin wondered just what he was worrying about, while Haruhi didn't seem to care much either way. Her mind was more focused on this strange new world, and just how different it was from her boring old one.

"Where are you two from?" Alicia asked, suddenly becoming curious herself. Haruhi's style of dress might have signified her as a member of the Gallian Navy, but from what Alicia could tell, she probably didn't even know what that was.

"It's a boring place. You wouldn't want to hear about." Haruhi replied, without any enthusiasm in her voice. She almost didn't want to talk to this Alicia girl anyway. Her ability to take charge was beginning to bug Haruhi a bit.

"So how is he related to you then? Are you two together or something?" Alicia asked, sounding innocent despite the fact that she wanted to purposely tick Haruhi off for not telling her anything.

In an instant, Haruhi's face went red, and she turned around, pointing an accusing finger at Alicia.

"He's just a lowly Brigade Member! Nothing more!"

Alicia smiled slightly. Maybe this girl had a weak point after all.

"Whatever you say, Brigade Chief." she replied jokingly. Kyon shook his head back and forth, while Welkin once again seemed to be out of the loop, confused as why Haruhi had gotten so worked up over such a small comment.

Meanwhile, Isara had brought the Edelweiss to a stop, right near a large shed near the outskirts of Bruhl. People were already beginning to come out to see this new vehicle that had stopped by their town, and as Alicia was heading for the top hatch, Isara's eyes widened in worry when she could see men coming towards them, weapons in hand. One of them was specifically holding a rocket propelled grenade launcher, and he was pointing it towards the Edelweiss.

Alicia managed to get out of the hatch at the perfect moment, and as she made sure to wave as quickly as she could, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Wait! We're not Imperials! Don't fire!"

Recognizing Alicia instantly, the men had already begun lowering their weapons, and Alicia smiled in relief as she looked down towards Welkin and the others, knowing that they were safe for the time being.

_

**TIME: 4:15 PM**

**LOCATION: BRUHL, GALLIA**

"Hmm...they're really pushing to take us, aren't they?"

Alicia had already described the current situation to the highest ranking person in charge at the moment, which was Merkel Susstin. Merkel was a bearded, loud man who seemed to enjoy the taste of battle a little too much, at least from Alicia's perspective. Their original commander, Larkin, had taken the liberty of helping to evacuate the rest of the civilians from Bruhl, so command of the rest of the Militia forces had been left to Merkel. Though Merkel trusted Alicia's word, he was instantly skeptical of Welkin, his Darcsen sister, and these two strangers who seemed to know absolutely nothing about Gallia or its conflict with the Empire.

"So you don't have any combat experience, and these two don't even know how to use a gun correctly?" Merkel asked, and despite being a little embarrassed, Welkin nodded. His sister was already worried, mostly because she knew that this man was wary of her purely because he could tell she was a Darcsen.

"They'll fight alongside us if they have to! I'm not letting the Imperials take this town from us!" Alicia stated with courage, and this only worried Kyon even more than he already was.

_Does she want us to die too? At this rate, she and Haruhi could be best friends already..._

"I'll fight! I'll do it for the glory of the SOS Brigade!" Haruhi also stated with equal vigor. She gave Alicia a fiery look, and it was clear that she wouldn't just let this girl take the spotlight already. Kyon once again put a hand on Haruhi's shoulder, and spoke as calmly as he could.

"This is a war, Haruhi. This is not some sort of game. Do you really want to get us killed, when we don't even know how we ended up here in the first place?"

Haruhi turned once again, and glared at Kyon with a discontented expression.

"Don't be such a coward. They obviously need our help."

Kyon just sighed again.

_She's not even on this planet._

"I think we'll make due without it. I suggest the rest of you retreat with civilians. The Militia will take care of things from here." Merkel said point-blank, which only seemed to infuriate Haruhi. Kyon put his hand on her shoulder again, and that was enough to stop her from socking him in the face. Even still, Alicia was beginning to feel useless, and Isara just got more worried when she overheard the Militia men saying they were planning on using their only two tanks against the Imperials.

"Wait! We can help you with the Edelweiss!" Welkin protested, but Merkel was practically ignoring him now. He was inspecting one of the old tanks in the shed, and watching as his men performed last minute matienence on it.

"I don't need a novice going into battle and getting himself killed, and I certainly don't need a Darcen's help. We'll take care of things from here. Like I said, you should consider retreating with the rest of the civilians."

"Sussin-san!"

The two boys from before, Jean and Miguro, ran to the front of the shed, their faces looking worried.

"The Imperials! They're here!"

Merkel smiled to himself, and he motioned to his troops to board the two tanks. The time had come to show these Imperials just what they were made of.

Meanwhile, Isara watched sadly as the tanks rolled out, because she knew that they weren't in any condition to fight. In fact, they would power down soon enough, and that would just make the Militia soldiers driving them sitting ducks.

_

"I can't believe they won't even let us fight!" Haruhi complained, as she watched wounded soldiers being carried in by the efforts of Alicia and a blond-haired girl named Susie. Haruhi was effectively pissed that she hadn't gotten a taste of battle yet, while Kyon was actually more relieved that they weren't being forced to fight right now.

"They'll take care of them. Don't worry about it." Alicia said halfheartedly, as she watched Susie stop the bleeding on one soldier's hurt leg. Welkin could tell by the sound of her voice that something was wrong, and by this time, he realized that with such a small amount of soldiers, the Militia didn't stand much of a chance. Isara hadn't said much since they had rolled out, but she also knew that with those tanks in such bad condition, their chances of winning were slim to none.

_And how long will it be till they get to us...._

Kyon walked outside of the safety of the shed for a moment, and in the distance, he could see what looked like two very tall, twin windmills. Though he hadn't seen much of the town yet, he figured Bruhl was probably very quiet and peaceful. With all the smoke coming up from buildings now, it certainly hurt his mood and probably the mood of everyone else. As Kyon watched silently, hands in his pockets, a powerful explosion rocked against twin windmills, and Kyon's face became shocked as the windmills began to go aflame. At this moment, Alicia had happened to see why he was outside, and she also got a glimpse of just what was happening to their town in the distance.

"They're...they're destroying everything..." Susie said as she too noticed the smoke and the now burning windmills. She felt dizzy all of a sudden, and she could feel herself fainting from the terrible sight. Haruhi managed to catch her right before she hit the ground, and she felt a strange connection to this girl mostly because she reminded her of Mikuru Asahina quite a bit.

"Alicia-san!" a voice said from a few feet away. Alicia turned, and she could see her two subordinates from before, Jean and Miguro, coming their way. Jean was actually helping his companion walk, as Miguro seemed to be limping from a wound on his leg. Both of them no longer had their rifles.

"He's wounded!" Haruhi exclaimed, suddenly feeling alarmed. Seeing these two kids injured like this was starting to make her opinion on this battle change entirely.

"What happened to the rest of the Militia?" Alicia asked in a worried voice, as a now recuperated Susie helped Miguro to a comfortable spot where she could tend to his leg wound. Jean looked up Alicia with an unsure, almost afraid face, then spoke in a quiet voice.

"The Imperials...they..."

Welkin put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. He knew nothing else needed to be said.

Nearby, the sound of a small truck coming caught almost everyone's attention. Haruhi was the first to run out and see just who was coming out of it, followed by Alicia, who made sure to bring her rifle for safe measure.

The truck stopped by the old shed where the wounded lay, and a stout, short man walked out of it. He was none other than Commander Larkin, and he looked relatively pleased as Alicia and Haruhi both approached him. Kyon, Welkin and Isara were right behind them, and Larkin waited till they were all gathered around before speaking.

"I don't know who these strangers are, but it seems that the civilian evacuation was successful. You've all done well."

Alicia felt a little better hearing this, as did the others. Nevertheless, Larkin's facial expression changed as he glanced over towards the wounded. He could see that perhaps he had arrived a little late.

"The Regulars have dispatched a battalion to come to our aid. I suggest we take our retreat now and let the Gallian Army take care of the rest of the Imperials."

Kyon suddenly felt his mood rise up.

"That sounds like the best course of action now." Welkin stated, causing both Alicia and Haruhi to raise questioning looks. Kyon merely stood by Welkin, his spirits having been raised.

"I completely agree with Gunther-san!"

Haruhi just gave Kyon another death glare, while Alicia seemed to nearly giggle at Kyon's attitude towards the situation. Nevertheless, Welkin had sense in his words, and retreating was probably the best course of action for them now. Alicia took another look towards Bruhl, and felt saddened by the sight of the still-burning Sister Mills. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, and she swore inside that she would make sure the Imperials paid for their actions. She promised it to herself.

_

"We're retreating in this?" Kyon asked, a little confused that they were back inside the Edelweiss. Alicia was equally confused, and she had thought that Welkin wanted to retreat with the rest of the wounded, and not go forward with this tank instead.

"I figured it would be the best way. We can get out of Bruhl, and possibly injure part of the Imperial force at the same time. That way, it'll be easier for the Regulars to take care of the rest." Welkin replied, and Alicia had to admit that his answer did in fact make a lot of sense. Satisfied with Welkin's idea, she went back to Isara's side. The Edelweiss was already starting up again, and both Haruhi and Kyon both held on tightly to anything they could as the tank began to pick up speed.

"Our goal is to just make it past what's left of the Imperials. Once we do that, we can meet up with the rest of the evacuated and wounded." Welkin stated, as he could already see that Imperial-class tanks ahead as they approached Central Bruhl. The Edelweiss's monstrous treads made crushing noises against the paved road, and its approach was certainly loud enough to alert all the Imperial soldiers ahead.

"It's the tank from before! All units, fire!" an Imperial officer commanded, and the battalion of tanks opened fire at the approaching Edelweiss. Isara's maneuvers made them miss most of their shots, and the one shell that did hit the front of the Edelweiss's plating literally bounced off it and ricocheted into a building roof behind it. The officer nearly dropped his binoculars at the sight, but regained his composure and shouted more commands to his troops.

"We've got more firepower than them! Keep firing!"

As if giving a vicious reply to his command, a destructive shell from the Edelweiss's cannon crashed into one of his tanks nearby, blowing metal apart and causing troops to scatter. Isara was already swerving the Edelweiss around to dodge yet another tank shell, while Welkin was aiming his sights to unleash another shot on one of the enemy units. Alicia was a little bit awe at how effective of a team Isara and Welkin were, and Haruhi remained excited as ever while Kyon worried over how long their armor would last.

"Go towards the center, Isara! Another shot should scatter them and allow for an opening!" Welkin exclaimed, and the sound of another roaring shell followed. Isara held onto the wheel tightly, and the tank rocked slightly as another enemy tank shell bounced right off it's plating. The Edelweiss unleashed another powerful shot on the enemy ahead, causing troops to run towards opposite sides, their ranks having been broken in the confusion.

"There's the opening!" Alicia exclaimed, pointing towards the sudden gap that had been created in the middle of the Imperial Battalion. The engine responded quickly to Isara's expert driving, and the Edelweiss seemed to speed up even faster as it roared right through the opportunity before it. Kyon held on for dear life, while Haruhi's heart was just beating faster from all the excitement around her.

With a final surge of speed, the Edelweiss sped right past the Imperial forces, leaving many confused and frightened by its ferocity and its unnatural speed. By this point, the officer in command was in awe.

"Sir! The Gallian Army is descending on us!"

The officer looked down at his subordinate, and held back his now growing anger. He threw his pair of binoculars on the ground in defeat.

"Damn it! All units...retreat!"

___

Alicia took in a deep breath of fresh air as she finally got to leave the interior of the Edelweiss. They were surrounded by members of the Gallian Army now and Bruhl refugees alike, and they'd managed to make it out of Bruhl without losing anyone.

"Once again, the SOS Brigade triumphs!" Haruhi exclaimed valiantly as she came out of the top hatch right after Alicia. It was getting close to sunset now, and despite the large number of soldiers and wounded, it was oddly quiet. Alicia had other things on her mind, and as Welkin exited the Edelweiss, he could see her walking off by herself. He wondered just what she was thinking.

_I'm just glad we're alive..._

Kyon felt like most of this excursion had been one conflict after another, and he was glad that they had a moment's rest for once. Stepping down from the top of the tank, he looked for Haruhi, only to find that she had wandered off. He sighed, and hoped she wouldn't get lost among all these people. They still didn't know much about this strange world.

"Damn...where did she go?" Kyon said in annoyance. He would rather Haruhi didn't wander off like this.

"Your friend Haruhi? I think she followed Alicia." Welkin replied, pointing to where the two of them had gone. From where they were next to the Edelweiss, they could both see Haruhi and Alicia by a very tall tree, and they seemed to be overlooking Bruhl. Kyon wondered why Welkin had just called her Haruhi instead of Suzumiya-san, but he ignored that minuscule fact and figured he'd rather find out what was up with his Brigade Chief.

__

"I never thought it would all happen so fast."

Haruhi was leaning against a tree, listening to Alicia speak as the two of them overlooked what was left of Bruhl. Though Haruhi still didn't like this girl that much, even she had to admit that something like this must be pretty emotional for her. Alicia was relatively quiet in her speaking, and she spent a few minutes just gazing at a tiny, Lion's Paw flower in her hand.

"It's just amazing how quickly it all changed. I was so used to a peaceful life as a baker." Alicia said in a sorrowful tone, and she let the Lion's Paw flower in her hand drift into the wind. Haruhi crossed her arms, and didn't exactly know what to say at first. She cleared her throat, and tried to speak without sounding annoyed.

"You're a baker?"

Alicia smiled a little bit, and turned to face Haruhi.

"Yeah, I was. I still am too. It's just...my priorities are changing now."

"The same could be said for all of us." Welkin said from behind Alicia, with Kyon and Isara by his side. He had overheard some of their conversation. Kyon had too, but he was mostly surprised that these two hadn't killed one another yet.

"The Army said they're abandoning Bruhl..." Susie quietly said from behind Isara. Worry was clear on her face and easily apparent in her voice. Alicia's facial expression became softer for a second, but it quickly changed to one that showed she wasn't all that sad.

"We'll come back here, Susie. I know we will. And when we come back, we'll make it better than it was before." Alicia replied as she gazed at the damaged Sister Mills in the distance. Welkin put a hand on her shoulder, and offered her a friendly smile. She silently thanked him for being concerned, and turned her attention to everyone around her now.

"I was thinking about joining the Regular Army's Militia. Maybe...we can do something to end this war as quickly as possible."

"Why is everyone fighting anyway?" Kyon asked out of curiosity, hoping that a simple question like this would be answered clearly and concisely. He needed at least some sort of sensible answer right now.

Welkin was the one to answer him, his calm voice gathering everyone's attention at once.

"Gallia has some of the largest ragnite deposits in all of Europa. It's a neutral nation, but it has undoubtedly become a war spoil that the Empire wants dearly."

"Ragnite? What's that?" Haruhi said, a bit curious herself. She had a stray grass blade in her mouth, playing around with it like a toothpick as she leaned against the same tree.

"It's a valuable resource used by both the Imperial Alliance and the Federation. A need for more ragnite has managed to cause conflicts in the past, and it seems like the Empire is tired of waiting for more. They figured taking Gallia would be easy." Alicia interjected, and a silence emerged between the group for a few moments. Haruhi already had plans formulating themselves in her mind, while Kyon was thinking about how they would be getting themselves out of this predicament more than anything else.

"But either way, I'm still set on joining the Gallian Militia. If I can help end this war faster, then that's good enough for me." Alicia announced, before walking right past Welkin and Kyon, a super-serious look on her face. Isara almost immediately went to her brother's side, and whispered quietly in his ear.

"What are we going to do now, Onii-san?"

Welkin gave her a small smile, and whispered back to her.

"Don't worry. I've got a good idea of where we're going next."

Meanwhile, Haruhi was next to Kyon again, and she looked a little dissatisfied. Kyon wondered just when their troubles would end already.

"Militia, huh? Sounds like an interesting way to make the Brigade known to all these people! I think we should join up!" she said exclaimed loudly, much to Kyon's surprise.

"What? Have you gone crazy? We're talking about the military here!" Kyon protested, but Haruhi had already roughly grabbed him by the tie, and just glared him with the familiar, adventurous glint in her eyes.

"Exactly! This is a one in a lifetime chance to make the SOS Brigade more famous than ever! And as a member of the Brigade, this is not something you can refuse, Kyon!"

Kyon looked into Haruhi's eyes for a few seconds, searching for any sign that she knew what she was saying. Having given up quickly, he just sighed to himself, and a big smile formed on Haruhi's face. A few feet away, Isara had witnessed the entire thing, and was giggling to herself a little bit. She whispered again in her brother's ear.

"You've met some interesting friends, Onii-san."

_

**TIME: 9:10 AM**

**LOCATION: RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

"What!?! This is some sort of joke! It has to be!"

Susie was keeping her distance from Alicia, who looked very pissed at the sight of Haruhi Suzumiya in front of her. All three girls were dressed in standard Gallian Military uniforms, and all three were currently in a four-bunk room, located in a large military academy in Gallia's capital city, Randgriz. Having decided to join the Militia, Haruhi had effectively followed Welkin and Isara, forcing Kyon to come along with her. She had become dead-set on joining the Militia, and Kyon had believed that it stemmed from the fact that she probably thought more excitement would be found in battle than anywhere else. Despite his best efforts, Kyon had been unable to convince her that this was all a very bad idea.

Now, Haruhi was standing right in front of Alicia, a victorious expression on her face. Alicia was angry, mostly because she had only now just found out that Haruhi would be one of her bunk-mates. Since they didn't exactly get along too well, this only seemed to be a hindrance in Alicia's eyes. On top of this, Alicia was still unaware that Welkn, Kyon and Isara were also present at this Academy. She was more focused on the terrible thought of actually having to sleep in the same room as Haruhi more than anything else.

"I'm sorry, but the Brigade Chief needs lodging as well. If I'm going to fight for the honor of the SOS Brigade, then I'm going to need somewhere to sleep." Haruhi commented nonchalantly, much to Alicia's displeasure.

"Just what is this stupid "SOS Brigade" you keep blabbering about?" Alicia retorted, as Haruhi's manner of speaking was really getting on her nerves.

"What is the SOS Brigade? I'll tell you just what it is!"

"Our goal is to find as many time travelers, espers and aliens, and have fun with them! If you have a problem with that, then you'll have to submit it in writing to the Brigade Chief, otherwise, I don't want to hear it!" Haruhi replied with the intent of sounding smarter than Alicia. Susie was still afraid to say anything, and Alicia just looked back at Haruhi like she had seven heads. She then smiled, and shook her head back and forth, chuckling to herself.

"We'll see if you're this loud at basic training tomorrow. War isn't all the fun and games you think it is, Haruhi."

Haruhi narrowed her eyes, barking back at Alicia like a vicious dog.

"That's Brigade Chief to you, human!"

"Can you even hear yourself? You sound crazy!"

Listening on the other side of the door, Kyon sighed deeply. He was stuck in this uniform now, having enlisted in something completely against his will. He wondered just why he was following Haruhi like this, and if it might eventually lead to his own demise. He'd been through some crazy stuff in the past, but this was by far the craziest. He moved his ear away from the door, knowing he'd heard enough by now.

"What exactly are you doing?" Welkin asked behind him, which managed to scare Kyon just a little bit and cause him to flinch. Welkin just raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Nothing..."

"Were you eavesdropping?" Welkin asked innocently. Kyon didn't say anything in response, but instead moved away from the door so he didn't look suspicious any longer.

"To be honest, I still don't like any of this..." Kyon then commented, before the door in front of Welkin opened up, revealing none other than a sufficiently angered Alicia. She stopped as she opened the door, and became suddenly surprised that not only was Welkin actually here, and in a uniform, but he was also suspiciously on the other side of her door.

"Wha...What are you doing here? And why are you in front of our door? What did you hear!?!" Alicia exclaimed to Welkin's face, and his mood seemed to drop the moment he realized that he had angered her quite a bit. Behind Welkin, Kyon had already taken his leave, and he figured he would rather find something else to do until they had their first formal meeting as members of the Gallian Militia rather than stay put and feel Alicia's wrath. He sighed, but continued walking even though Alicia's shouting towards a quiet Welkin just got louder and louder.

_Sorry, Welkin...but you're on your own. She's a definite equivalent of Haruhi in her own right._

___

Miles away from the capital city of Randgriz, the wilderness lay relatively undisturbed. The sun continued to shine down on the countryside as usual, and there were relatively no sounds save for the music that nature provided. It was quiet, and it was peaceful.

Beneath the tall grass of a vast field, a tiny pig innocently ate some of the shorter grass on the ground as nature provided a gentle breeze above. Unlike most normal pigs, it had wings on its back, but it never actually used them much. The pig continued to happily munch along, enjoying itself until something began to disturb its eating.

It was a ringing noise, and the tiny noise seemed to build up in the pig's big, pink ears as more time continued to pass. Soon, the pig had stopped eating, and it was now squealing in discomfort as the noise became louder and more unbearable. It rubbed its head against the ground, squealing even louder as the noise didn't seem to cease at all.

Finally, the horrible ringing noise stopped. The pig opened its eyes, and looked around , confused. The noise was gone now, and it figured it would continue to eat again in the comfort of nature.

However, a bright blue flash of light caught the pig's attention right before it was about to chomp on more grass. It was as if a giant azure vortex appeared behind the animal, and it subsided in the same second it came, leaving two huge shapes behind. The pig became curious, and moved closer to the new objects that literally had planted themselves in the middle of this field.

They were in essence two massive, robotic humanoids. Both were primarily red, and they looked surprisingly shiny and new. One was a small, almost head-like machine with tiny arms and legs, and the other was a much more massive, fanged robot, with distinct diamond-shaped glasses. Both robots had very little when it came to bodies, but a lot when it came to faces.

Below these two huge robots, were the shapes of three sleeping people, who had yet to be aware of their new surroundings. One was a tall and imposing male who used a discarded cape as a blanket, and sleeping next to him was a much smaller boy, who sported what looked like miner's goggles. All the way to the right slept a red-haired, scantily clad girl, who was holding onto a very long rifle as if it was some sort of stuffed animal. All three continued to sleep soundly, until the curious pig managed to start sniffing the smaller boy, having become interested in these new people.

"...that feels great, Yoko..." Simon moaned in his sleep, not knowing that reality didn't exactly correlate with his secretive dream. He rustled in his sleep, and slowly, the pig's presence began to wake him up.

At first, Simon was only looking up at the sky, and he admired the warmth of the sun, and the comfortable breeze that was coming over him. The pig had backed away by now, preferring to observe this strange person from a distance. Then, rubbing his eyes, Simon sat up, and took a good look at the surrounding countryside. It was very unrecognizable to him, but he yawned indifferently anyway.

It was then that the pig's squeal brought him to reality, and he realized his surroundings were just too different than the one's he'd fallen alseep in. His eyes widened in shock.

"What the?"

"Aniki! Wake up, wake up!" Simon nearly shouted in panic, nudging his sleeping comrade over and over again, until he could feel him stirring. The older male's loud and charasmatic voice seemed to almost reach the heavens.

"SIMON! Why would you wake your brother up so roughly? Kamina-sama needs his rest for a reason!"

The older male, who was none other than Kamina, the self-proclaimed leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, seemed to leap awake in a dramatic fashion. His cape went around him majestically, and he put on his transparent, diamond-shaped red glasses on at the same time. A grin was on his face, but it began to disappear as he realized that they were no longer in their former surroundings.

"Something happened to the rest of the world." Simon said with worry in his voice as he pointed to the land around them, and Kamina's jaw seemed to drop at the beautiful countryside that had replaced the blasted wasteland where they had just spent the night.

"Why are you two always so loud..." Yoko said groggily, as she too began to awaken from her slumber. After fully waking up, it only took her seconds to notice the change in surroundings, and her eyes widened in surprise at the new landscape that they had all somehow woken up in.

Kamina was still in awe. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. The beauty of this land was almost too much for him. In but a moment's notice, his grin began to return. He turned back to both Simon and Yoko, and the precious Gurren and Lagann robots behind them. His glasses glinted brightly in the sunlight, and his cape flowed almost perfectly behind him.

"I have figured it all out! We've done it!"

"What have we done, Aniki?" Simon asked, suddenly curious.

Kamina grinned even wider, then pointed a finger up to the sky. He gave a dramatic pose, and his voice could be heard almost a mile away.

"We've finally reached the heavens!"

With that comment, Yoko just hit herself in the forehead and sighed deeply. For the longest time, she had always wondered why men like him could be so dense.

__

**Everyone loves Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. And if you don't, you need to! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**And for all those reading this story; I have been gracious enough to write another chapter for your viewing pleasure! This is by far my longest yet in any story, so enjoy it! And definitely enjoy the Dai-Gurren Brigade's debut into this hopeful crossover epic! :)**

__

"**We've finally reached the heavens!**"

Kamina's righteous cry could easily be heard over a mile around, causing animals of all kinds to stir. In response to this man's declaration, the winged pig that had woken up Simon perked up its ears and listened intently to what this strange person had to say, despite not being able to understand any of it.

"What...what are you talking about, idiot?" Yoko retorted in annoyance, hitting Kamina hard in the back of the head. In an instant, he had lost his balance, falling out of his dramatic pose and tumbling backwards onto the ground.

"Hey! How dare you strike Kamina-sama!" Kamina complained as he picked up his fallen red-orange glasses from the ground. He gritted his teeth, silently cursing Yoko for ruining one of his moments of glory. Simon watched the situation without saying a word, mostly because he figured that it was never good to mess with Yoko if she was ticked off.

"Where did we go?" Simon finally asked, his eyes curious as he looked all around him. To this digger boy, the sight of fresh grass, trees, and fertile land all around was greatly contrasting compared to the bleak wasteland he, Kamina and Yoko had just been sleeping in only just before. In fact, the sunlight was just a little too bright out here, and Simon found himself putting on his goggles because his eyes were hurting from it.

"Well, I think it's obvious that we're definitely not in the heavens." Yoko said nonchalantly, while Kamina regained his composure after have been literally struck down by her. He was pouting at the fact she was trying to prove his great declaration wrong.

"If it's not the heavens, then it's somewhere else! That's it! The power of Simon's drill has taken us to paradise!"

Yoko sighed. It was clear that actually arguing with Kamina and his overflowing manliness would just be a chore. Reaching down, she slung her rifle over her shoulder, and fixed her skull-shaped hair pin so she knew that her long red hair wouldn't get in her way later on.

"Well...I think we can all agree that we aren't anywhere near Ritona Village anymore. But wherever this place is, it could still be crawling with Beastmen, so we can't let our guard down anytime soon." Yoko stated, making sure that her long rifle was loaded with enough ammo for the time being, just in case they really did run into any trouble.

"Hey! Look at this little guy!" Simon said in a cheerful voice. The tiny mole-pig Boota squealed in delight on his shoulder, as the two were just looking down at the curious, winged pig that had been watching them this entire time. Kamina slowly came up behind Simon, and he seemed to almost lick his lips at the sight of the winged pig. In his eyes, he was imagining the pig looking like a large, roasted pork chop.

"Ah! Good work, Simon. You found us dinner." Kamina said, his hands reaching out hungrily for the pig. Simon turned around, only to see that Kamina's eyes were now completely and utterly focused on the little animal, and he wasn't looking at the pig in a very friendly way.

"Wait!"

But before Kamina could get his hands on the pig, Simon quickly picked it up in the safety of his arms, and he backed away from his soul-brother with a nervous look in his eyes.

"We can't eat this guy, Aniki! He was just watching out for us!"

Kamina's facial expression quickly changed from a look of hunger to a look of clear disapproval. He was beginning to get really annoyed with Simon now.

"Simon...Kamina-sama is hungry! Aren't you hungry too? That juicy morsel could be our dinner!"

Although Simon's legs were shaking in nervousness, he still didn't let go of his new friend. Boota stood his ground right on Simon's shoulder, while Kamina seemed to just become more and more annoyed as he started to realize that his soul-brother wouldn't just hand over their dinner without a fight. Simon closed his eyes shut, and held onto his new pig friend tight. The tiny winged pig just seemed to squeal loudly, confused by why this human was squeezing it like a stuffed animal.

"We're not eating him!"

In a matter of moments, Kamina's expression began to soften at the sound of Simon's words. He admired the fighting spirit that he could hear in them, despite all this being over whether or not they roasted a wild winged pig. Kamina stood before Simon with a calm expression now, no longer interested in consuming the tiny animal. He put a friendly but strong hand on Simon's shoulder, and feeling relaxed now, the smaller boy looked back up at his taller soul-brother.

"Alright then. Kamina-sama respects you protecting your new friend." Kamina said wholeheartedly, his smile comforting Simon greatly. Yoko just raised a questioning eyebrow at the entire situation, once again wondering just how strange of a pair these two were.

"I wonder what this is place is..." Yoko said out loud, rubbing her chin as she thought long and hard about the answer. She had never seen this kind of landscape in her entire life. She'd heard legends of places like this, but that was about it.

"Just how did we get here? And when did it turn into day all of a sudden?"

Yoko turned to her two male companions, searching for a thought or even a possible answer from either of them.

"Does it even matter? The Dai-Gurren Brigade doesn't need to know where it is! Wherever we end up, be it the heavens themselves or the center of the Earth, we will triumph against all who would try to strike us down!" Kamina exclaimed with a ton of machismo, grinning widely again as his glasses seemed to almost glint brighter in the sunlight.

"Maybe there's someone around here who can tell us where we are." Simon suggested, but Yoko just seemed to be in thought again. For one thing, she had easily figured out by now that Kamina's comments weren't helping them much. She took a good look at the landscape again, and wondered just how they could have gone from a blasted wasteland to this. It didn't make any sense at all. She could have sworn that it was almost as if the three of them had fallen asleep in one world, and then woken up in another. It was so strange...

However, something broke Yoko's train of thought, and completely got all of her attention. She focused her eyes, and she figured out just what in the distance was bugging her. Silently, she acted quickly, reaching for the long rifle on her back and flipping out in front of her.

Without even a second thought, Yoko fired forth a powerful bullet from her over-sized gun, which sped straight towards a patch of tall grass in the distance. Less than a second passed before a blue explosion could be seen erupting from the grass patch, blowing it apart and causing quite a bit of noise.

"Yoko-san! What's wrong?" Simon said in panic, as he was usually the first one to become afraid when fighting broke out like it was now. At the same time, the winged pig in his arms seemed to squeal loudly again, as if it was just as afraid as Simon. Yoko still didn't say a word, and instead silently motioned for Kamina and Simon to follow her to where she had just fired. Both Kamina and Simon each gave each other a partially confused look, before they both reluctantly followed the scantily-clad girl towards the now partially burning patch of grass.

"Looks like there are other humans besides us around here." Yoko said seriously, and down below her was what looked like the body of some sort of armored soldier. At first, Kamina expected that the guy would have been fried from the rifle shot, but instead, the soldier was breathing heavily, and it was obvious that one of his arms and good part of his body were burned to a black crisp. While he didn't get completely caught in the energy explosion, he certainly took a good part of it.

He coughed in pain, and Yoko just angrily put her foot on his chest. Kamina and Simon were just surprised that she was so forceful right now.

"Who are you, and just why did you try to shoot at us?" Yoko asked in a clearly pissed-off tone of voice. Simon's eyes glanced to the man's burnt arm, and he could see what looked like what was left of a rifle, only a few feet away. This rifle was badly damaged, and from what Simon could tell, it looked a lot smaller and a lot more primitive than Yoko's.

Kamina was already gritting his teeth in obvious anger. Simon could already see that his soul-brother was clenching his fists.

"A sneak attack on the Dai-Gurren Brigade....you cowards!" Kamina said with much ferocity. The injured soldier in question coughed again, and than began to laugh in a wheezy voice.

"....you're...in the Empire's way...and...those who block our path...will be crushed without mercy..."

Yoko just narrowed her eyes, before taking her foot of the man as she realized he was already dying by now. However, Kamina was beginning to lose his own temper, and he brought the injured soldier up by the collar, glaring at him face-to-face through his sunglasses.

"Who the hell do you think I am?!? Kamina-sama is not afraid of any empire! We're the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and we kick reason to the curb! It's people just like you that I can't stand..."

"Aniki...calm down. He's not worth it." Simon said quietly beside Kamina, sounding concerned for his older soul-brother. He could see that Kamina was letting his anger get the better of him. Nevertheless, Kamina was slowly allowing himself to relax, and his grip on the man was beginning to loosen.

"Ha...it doesn't even matter...the rest of the...battalion...will finish you..." the soldier said as his voice seemed to weaken more and more with each word. Dark red blood dripped down from one side of his mouth, sliding down onto his melted armor.

He let out another hoarse laugh, and slowly, Kamina could feel his body becoming limp. Kamina's expression of anger softened as he fully realized the man's fate, and Kamina just closed his own eyes as he gently put the body of the dead Imperial soldier back on the ground. Without another word, Kamina turned around, and began to walk back towards the Gurren and Lagann.

Neither Simon and Yoko could say anything in response to what had just happened, so the both of them just silently followed Kamina back to their respective robots. Simon felt a little sad, and at the same time, a little disturbed. The way that dying soldier spoke was frightening to him, not to mention how he mentioned that a battalion would be coming to finish them off. Yoko, on the other hand, hoped that Kamina could just keep his sense in this situation. Not to mention that she was still more worried about where they had ended more than anything else.

"I don't think we should be out in the open like this. That guy could have been bluffing...but still..." Yoko stated, her voice sounding a little worried. Simon was already in the process of boarding the Lagann, having brought his new winged pig friend inside with him, and he motioned for Yoko to come in the small red robot with him.

She looked to see where Kamina had gone, and it was clear that he was already inside the Gurren, which had its arms crossed as if it was as in just a bad mood as he was. The giant robot's surprisingly expressive face was now in a grimace.

As Yoko made herself comfortable inside the cockpit of the small Lagann robot, she heard what sounded like loud rumbling close by. She looked out from the Lagann's cockpit as Simon activated the robot with his drill, only to see what looked like strange vehicles closing in on them. At first, they weren't anything like she'd ever seen, but as this battalion of large, gun-toting tanks edged closer, she began to slowly recognize them as long lost example of human weaponry. They were from a bygone era; one that she had seen in old books from an archaic age of humanity.

"What is it, Yoko-san?" Simon asked as he noticed that Yoko was looking out at something with her mouth open in awe. Yoko turned to him swiftly, and her face became serious in an instant.

"Looks like we've got company."

__

**TIME: 10:05 AM**

**LOCATION: 15 MILES OUTSIDE OF RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

**__**

"Damn scout...." an Imperial tank commander said as his battalion rolled along at a steady pace. The soldier he was referring to should have come back in less than a few minutes, but his battalion had been forced to wait over a half-hour for his return. After becoming adequately pissed off at this man's incompetence, the commander decided he would make sure personally if his scout had decided to break his vows as a member of the Imperial Army.

As his tanks rolled through this vast field, the Imperial commander could spot what looked like titanic objects in the distance. Grabbing a pair of binoculars, he observed from the top hatch of his vehicle what looked like two machine-like, red objects in the distance. However, they were nothing like he'd ever seen before. One of them towered over the landscape, while the other one, which was much smaller, looked more like a face with arms and legs than anything else.

"Commander Ethen! What are those things up ahead?" one of his soldiers said from inside the command tank below. The commander was speechless for a moment, unable to comprehend just what these imposing things up ahead were. He grimaced as he lied through his teeth.

"They're...some sort of Gallian prototype weapons."

"Are you sure, sir? I've never seen Gallians build anything like that." the soldier asked, and above, his commander bit his lip. He knew that what he was about to say was another blatant lie, but in war, sometimes deceit was necessary.

"It's Gallian alright! All tank units; direct your firepower on the two machines ahead! We won't let these Gallian bastards get away with defying the will of the Empire!"

__

"What...what kind of attack is this?" Kamina shouted in confusion as he watched the approaching tank battalion from the inside of the Gurren. Yoko was holding on tight to her long rifle as she sat next to Simon, who was more in awe than anything else. He had never seen vehicles like this before. They were very different from any Gunmen, as these vehicles moved on wheels instead of mechanical legs.

As the Dai-Gurren Brigade watched, the tanks began to slowly circle around the their two robots. The battalion was approximately composed of about sixteen tank units in total, with the largest tank belonging to the commander. Kamina looked from side to side, confused by the tactics of these machines. He didn't know what to expect, but he smiled to himself anyway, knowing full well that even these unknown enemies wouldn't take him down so easily.

Finally, the group of tanks stopped around the Dai-Gurren Brigade, and they had effectively formed a circular formation around them, blocking the two robots off. Kamina could make out a lone man in the tank about twenty feet in front of him, and he spoke loudly from the top hatch of his command vehicle.

"Gallian scum! Prepare to taste the wrath of the Empire!" the commander shouted, before Simon, Kamina and Yoko could see him wave his hand in a directing fashion. A second passed, and a sudden symphony of fire erupted from the sixteen-strong battalion of tanks, grealty surprising Kamina, who didn't expect much of an attack at all from these weak-looking vehicles.

Powerful shells blasted against the top shell of the Lagann, causing the entire mech to rock as it absorbed the impact. More of the same tank shells hit the much larger Gurren robot, spraying up dust and dirt from the many explosions that popped around it. Yoko nearly fell on top of Simon inside the Lagann from the vibrations, and the tiny winged pig with them squealed in what sounded like fear.

Clouds of dust formed from the many explosions caused by the tank shots, and the commander of the Imperial battalion began to smile in satisfaction. He looked through his binoculars, waiting for the dust to settle and show him that those machines were now burning wrecks after being bombarded by his tanks.

As the dust began to settle, the commander's eyes widened in surprise, and his expression sank as he could see the unbelievable in front of him. He knew in an instant that this sight would no doubt lower his soldier's morale greatly, and the thought began to scare him.

The two Gurren and Lagann robots were clearly visible after the dust had cleared, and from what the tank commander could see, they had absolutely no damage of any sort on their frame. He had watched shells hit their mark, but it looked as if they had no outward effect. Both robotic devices were still good as new, save for dust that had collected from the debris caused by the explosions.

"W-What!?!"

"Commander! The Gallian machines...they're untouched!"

The Imperial commander wanted to believe he was going mad, but the proof was right in front of him. Both the Gurren and Lagann had taken the full salvos of sixteen Imperial tank units, and managed to come out completely unharmed. What made the commander even more afraid now, was the fact that the two machines seemed to be smiling at him. He rubbed his eyes again in disbelief. He was seeing right. The Gurren and Lagann robots were both smiling at his tank units victoriously.

"Ha! The Dai-Gurren Brigade doesn't fall easily to the likes of you!" the Gurren exclaimed in Kamina's voice, which was amplified through the robot's own mouth. Kamina felt his blood pump faster, and he was already beginning to taste the excitement of battle ahead. Clearly, these strangers were trying to put out the fire of their existence, and as the leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, Kamina didn't plan on letting them get their way.

"Impossible! No machine can withstand that much!" the commander choked out as he gawked at the state of the two mechs. To him, these machines were each like some kind of abomination. The commander was already on the verge of wetting his pants from fear.

"Simon! I think it's time for us to become one!" Kamina announced in a charismatic fashion, and in the cockpit of the Lagann, Simon nodded, knowing fully well what his soul-brother meant.

"Alright, Aniki!" Simon responded, and at that moment, the Gurren seemed to give its own response by jumping right up into the air, signifying the first step of their union.

As the tank units watched in awe, the Lagann rocketed upwards as well, coming a few feet above the Gurren's top. The Lagann's arms and legs retracted into its face, and a large drill formed on the bottom of the Lagann as it came down closer to the Gurren. Bright neon green light flashed around the drill, right before it literally connected itself through the top of the Gurren. A bright explosion of incandescent green light followed, and the Imperial commander and his men were momentarily blinded by the merging between the two robots.

As the transformation continued, the Gurren's frame began to become more powerful, and armor sprouted from various points where it was previously unguarded. A partially cut, golden half-circle formed on the Lagann's forehead, signifying the final step of the union between the two robots. Stepping down onto the ground and now complete, the Gurren-Lagann turned its eyes to the tank battalion around it. By this time, the commander had already wet his pants, and he could feel fear coming over him like a dark blanket. Inside the newly formed robot, Kamina and Simon were both wearing serious expressions, and Yoko was just letting herself relax now, as she already knew that this was about to end quickly.

"D-Destroy it! All units; turn this abomination into dust!" the commander roared, with his voice showing obvious fear. His tank units responded by moving closer and firing their shots at the same time, many of which managed to hit the surface of the towering Gurren-Lagann. However, every shot bounced off of the titanic robot's armor and ricocheted into the ground around it.

"Abomination?!? This thing...this Gurren-Lagann...is beautiful!" Kamina shouted out loud; his overwhelming voice causing some of the tank units to actually move backwards in addition to them seeing the sight of their shells having absolutely no effect once again.

"Aniki! Let's go together!" Simon said from the head of the robot, while Yoko couldn't help but smile at the teamwork that these two always showed. They truly were the soul-brothers they referred to each other as.

Even though the tank battalion was beginning to retreat, the Gurren-Lagann was clearly faster, and the robot moved forward with uncanny speed, putting fear into the hearts of all the Imperial soldiers. The commander had already retreated back inside of his own vehicle, and he was screaming at his soldiers to move his command tank faster.

"Damn it! This thing is a monster! Get us the hell out of here!"

"We're moving at our maximum speed, sir!"

"Make it go faster! Do it for our lives, you fool!"

As his driver tried his best to make their tank move faster, the commander looked up through the viewing port in front of him, and his eyes widened as he saw something large coming directly their way. His face drained of color, and he could see what looked like a massive drill speeding towards them, and revolving at a impossibly fast pace. It glowed a bright neon green; a light which pierced right through the tank commander's soul as the drill closed in.

The Gurren-Lagann's wrist drill bore right through the command tank in front of it, spinning rapidly as it caused the vehicle to explode in a ball of flame. Debris flew outwards from the explosion as the drill ripped through whatever was left of the tank, causing chunks of metal to violently bounce off the now fully retreating Imperial tanks.

It only took a few seconds before Kamina and Simon figured out that the tank they had drilled through had been reduced to nothing, and in matter of moments, the Gurren-Lagann's wrist drill disappeared back into its frame, and the robot now stood tall and triumphant, for all surrounding to see.

"That's right! Run! Go and tell your friends that they've messed with Kamina-sama, and that they'll face the power of the Dai-Gurren Brigade if they want to keep messing with us! Just who the hell do you think we are!?!" Kamina yelled to the retreating tanks, the small victory empowering his already over-the-top macho attitude more than ever. Yoko sighed in the Lagann, before speaking to the pilot below.

"I think they got the point by now, Kamina."

Simon felt relieved now, and underneath him, the winged pig squealed in delight. They had managed to rout this unknown enemy for the time being. Simon could feel his hands relaxing on the controls of the Lagann, and Kamina was beginning to settle down from his battle-craze, much to Yoko's relief.

"Well....at least we don't have to worry about them now. We're still kind of lost though." Simon commented, his voice unsure.

"I can't imagine everyone around here is hostile. Maybe if we search the surrounding land, we might be able to find someone who can tell just where we are." Yoko suggested, but she was quickly interjected by a still pumped Kamina.

"And if they are hostile, then we'll show them the power of the Dai-Gurren Brigade as well!"

"We're not attacking everyone we see, you idiot!" Yoko yelled down to Kamina, his voice and attitude at the moment having finally gotten on her nerves.

"You don't know what kind of people we'll run into! We have to think ahead!"

"You're just going to start more trouble then we need! Do you want us to become everyone's enemy?

Simon couldn't help but sigh. He didn't know how much longer it would be till these two stopped arguing, but he figured that the waiting probably wouldn't be so bad. He looked down at his new winged pig friend below him, and whispered quietly.

"It's too bad you can't tell us where we are. Hopefully we'll find out for ourselves soon enough."

__

**TIME: 11:01 AM**

**LOCATION: RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

**__**

"Lieutenant Welkin Gunther!"

The voice of the green-haired, glasses-wearing Captain Varrot easily emanated throughout the spacious room, reaching the ears of just about everyone present. All the recruits stood in an organized, row by row fashion, as the captain began to announce squad placements for all those present in the room.

And at this moment, for one of the first times in her life, Haruhi was actually listening to someone else without question, much to Kyon's surprise. Standing right next to her, Kyon silently marveled at Haruhi's willingness to stand perfectly. She didn't make a noise, or fidget one bit. Kyon on the other hand, was beginning to getting a little tired, as standing this stiff was getting uncomfortable very fast.

"Welkin Gunther...you are the son of the famous General Gunther, am I correct?" Captain Varrot asked Welkin, who, realizing now he was be addressed directly, answered her swiftly and clearly.

"Yes. That is correct, ma'am."

The captain seemed to be looking through the Militia registry as she listened to Welkin speak. She glanced at the information before her, and looked up at Welkin again, speaking in an even more serious tone than before.

"Starting today, you will be assigned as commander of Squad 7. From what I can see here, you have taken Organizational Training in high school and finished the Officer Candidacy course during your time in the university. Just those two things are enough to convince me, and on top of that, you still are General Gunther's son, and that could be enough by itself."

Welkin's face became surprised all of a sudden, though he didn't relax his stance.

"I don't have much field experience, to be honest. Are you sure I'm even fit for this role, Captain Varrot?" Welkin asked, his voice sincere. Beside him, Alicia tried her best not to blurt out the fact that she almost didn't' think he deserved to be commander. Behind her, Haruhi continued to remain silent, while Kyon just wondered if these people were on crazy pills.

_Him? A commander? Well, I really don't think I'd want to be in his squad._

Despite the fact that Kyon didn't necessarily dislike Welkin, he had recognized by now that the man was quite oblivious to a fault, and Kyon figured that kind of thing would no doubt affect his role as a lieutenant and commander of an entire squad. Kyon held in the urge to sigh, and just listened as Captain Varrot continued to speak.

"From what I've been told, you have enough experience. I am confident you'll be effective in this position."

Welkin nodded.

"If that is so, then I will accept the position of commander. However, I do have one request."

Captain Varrot looked up again, curious to hear what Welkin had to say.

"Go on."

"I would like to have approval for the usage of the vehicle that belongs to my sister and myself, the Edelweiss. It's unique in design, so it will be difficult for most mechanics to perform matienence on it. If that is alright with you, I believe it will help greatly in future battles."

Captain Varrot looked back at the registry book, flipping through the pages and momentarily stopping at the picture of Isara. The captain certainly wasn't dense. She knew for a fact that Welkin's sister was no doubt a Darcsen. Nevertheless, she also knew that at this time, in this war, they needed all they could to win. She looked up again, sounding slightly disappointed but nevertheless willing.

"Very well. I will assign Corporal Isara Gunther to your squad as well."

The captain then stood up again from her chair, registry book in hand as she faced the rest of the recruits.

"Now for the rest of you...Sergeant Alicia Melchiott...you will also be assigned to Squad 7 as a non-commissioned officer to support Lieutenant Gunther."

Alicia's facial expression seemed to change in an instant from passive to shocked.

"What?!?"

The captain narrowed her eyes, suddenly becoming very serious.

"Is that alright with you, Sergeant Melchiott?"

Alicia could feel a tinge of embarrassment, and her cheeks flushed red. Why did she have to be in Welkin's squad, not to mention having to be his support? It almost wasn't fair. Nevertheless, she stood up straight again and tried to brush off the fact, answering as confidently as she could.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

Alicia felt like an idiot now. She glanced at Welkin, and wondered to herself just why she had to end up in his squad, and as his support on top of it.

The captain nodded, and paced back to her desk. Opening up the book further, she stopped on a page of interest, and it was the one that contained the recruit information of both Haruhi Suzumiya and Kyon. She read it over carefully, realizing that there was in fact not much to actually read over. She looked up again, and her gaze was directed straight at Haruhi and Kyon.

"Now...Private Haruhi Suzumiya and Private...Kyon? Are those names correct?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Kyon replied instantly. He would rather Haruhi not end up being the one to say something to insult this captain. It was bad enough that they still had basic training to go through tomorrow; something that Kyon certainly wasn't excited about one bit.

"I don't seem to have any background information on either of you. No place of birth, no family...I don't even see your nationalities on here. Not to mention that you don't seem to have a surname, Private Kyon. I'm a bit concerned. I understand both of joined the Militia only yesterday, correct?"

Kyon was ready to hit himself in the face, but he held back the urge.

_Why? Just why did my sister have to tell everyone that nickname?!?_

This time, Haruhi was the one to answer first, much to Kyon's displeasure.

"Yes, we did! And we both plan on trying our best to fight for Gallia! Please assign us to whatever squad you find suitable, ma'am!" Haruhi said out loud, surprising Kyon, Alicia and Welkin alike, as well as the rest of the soldiers surrounding her. On Haruhi's left side, Susie was trying to stop herself from shaking out of nervousness, and Haruhi's loud exclamation just only seemed to make things worse for the girl.

"I see..." Captain Varrot said, looking back at the registry book. Welkin was looking down, deep in thought. Alicia was curious to know just what was going on in his head, and at the same time, she, along with Kyon, wanted Haruhi to just shut her mouth for once.

"Excuse me, ma'am...but I believe I would like to ask for another request."

Welkin had spoken up, attracting the attention of just about everyone around. Captain Varrot looked up again, acknowledging Welkin.

"Yes, Lieutenant Gunther?"

Welkin cleared his throat, and he spoke as sincerely as he could.

"I would like to request that Private Suzumiya and Private Kyon be assigned to Squad 7. I believe they will work better under my guidance."

As if almost in perfect unison, Alicia, Haruhi and Kyon's thoughts were all thinking about the same thing, and that was the thought that Welkin Gunther was out of his mind. Alicia could barely stand Haruhi already, but to have her in the same squad would be pure torture. She didn't necessarily care about Kyon much, but she knew that Haruhi would most likely get in her way.

_What? He's kidding, right?_

Kyon felt his heart sink. He knew something bad like this was bound to happen. Next to him, Haruhi's face looked very unhappy. She didn't like the way Welkin was talking about her and Kyon, but mostly about her. He made it sound like she was an average rookie, and she didn't like that one bit. When Kyon thought Captain Varrot wasn't looking, he sighed deeply to himself.

"Very well. Private Suzumiya, Private Kyon; you are now both assigned to Squad 7, under Lieutenant Welkin Gunther's leadership." Captain Varrot stated, making Haruhi a little ticked off and Kyon just more worried than he had been before. Alicia was already in a bad enough mood, because now she knew she would have to deal with Haruhi much more than she thought she would have to, along with having to be under Welkin as his support.

"You're going to have a lot of attention on you from now on, Lieutenant Gunther. I expect much from you." the captain added, saluting Welkin in an orderly fashion. Welkin saluted her back in an instant.

"Yes ma'am!"

__

_Where did we go wrong? Not only are we stuck in a war we shouldn't be in, in a world we shouldn't be in; but now we're under Welkin's leadership? Is this really what you enjoy doing, Haruhi? Making me suffer?_

Kyon was deep in thought as he walked down one of the long halls of the academy. With that meeting now over, he was wondering on about their current predicament, and perhaps what exactly could be done to get them out of it. However, Kyon was fresh out of ideas, and he sighed to himself as he began to figure out that he really didn't have an answer to any of this. In an instant, thoughts of Yuki Nagato, Itsuki Koizumi and Mikuru Asahina began to swirl around in his head. It was already obvious that he was beginning to miss the three of them. Anyone could get sick of just Haruhi by now.

_Where's that esper boy and his long-winded explanations when you need them?_

Kyon's thoughts were swirling around in his head so much at the moment, that he didn't notice the person walking towards him, who he managed to bump right into.

"Ah, sorry about that." Kyon said apologetically. He looked up, and a very familiar sounding voice spoke back to him.

"It's alright. I can see that you're probably deep in thought. Your face says it all."

If Kyon hadn't looked up, he could have easily mistaken the man speaking for none other than Itsuki Koizumi. Kyon's hopes had actually risen for a moment before he got a look at the speaker's face, and he easily imagined Itsuki in front of him, clad in a Gallian Militia uniform and ready to provide him with the solution to returning himself and Haruhi home.

However, Itsuki was not the speaker in front of Kyon. This man was a bit taller than Kyon, and while he shared some of the esper's features, he had much lighter hair and a stronger frame. However, he had a smile on that was eerily reminding Kyon quite a bit of Itsuki's.

"You must be one of the newest recruits. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Faldio Landzaat."

Kyon's face sunk a little bit, but he nevertheless tried his best to sound enthusiastic that he had met this guy.

"My name is...just call me Kyon."

Faldio chuckled, and the look in his eyes was almost exactly like Itsuki's at this very moment. It was almost scaring Kyon a little bit now.

"That's an interesting name. I've never heard of anything like it before."

Kyon just groaned internally at this comment.

_That's because it's not my damn name! For some reason, Haruhi just likes to pass it around as my real name, even when we could be possibly on a completely different planet!_

"Faldio!"

Kyon looked over Faldio's shoulder, only to see none other than Welkin coming towards them. He looked relatively pleased, much to Kyon's annoyance. For some reason, Kyon couldn't help by envy every time he happened to see this guy in a good mood. It was almost beginning to get on his nerves in a way.

"Ah, Welkin. Trying not to be late to our meeting, eh?" Faldio joked, piquing Kyon's curiosity.

"Meeting? Didn't we just have meeting just before?"

Welkin had caught up to the two by now, and he was the one to answer Kyon's question.

"This meeting is for the commanders specifically, I believe. Faldio's just accompanying me, as he's the commander of Squad 1. I apologize that I can't stay longer and chat, but we really can't be late to this, Kyon."

Faldio laughed. Seeing Welkin again like this was certainly refreshing. It was almost as if their days in the university were part of a completely different life. War certainly changed a lot.

"I can't recall you ever being late to a single class, Welkin. Let's not break the habit now, right?"

Welkin smiled back at his friend, and for a brief moment, Kyon couldn't help but slightly feel ignored, or possibly almost jealous.

_Hmph...he's lucky to have a trustworthy friend around here. All I have is that Brigade Chief of mine. Lucky me._

"Right. I'll talk to you later, Kyon." Welkin said, before waving goodbye and walking down the hall with Faldio by his side. The two were already talking like they were best friends, and Kyon just sighed to himself as he turned a corner and could no longer see them.

As Kyon walked down one of the large hallways of the academy, he failed to notice someone watching him as he silently continued on his way. It was none other than Isara, who wore a curious face as she watched Kyon make his way down the hallway, hands in pockets and his head down. She happened to be walking down the hallway at the time, planning to head to the vehicle bay to go work on the Edelweiss, but she couldn't help but wonder what was up with Kyon as she saw him looking a little depressed.

"Are you feeling alright, Kyon-san?" Isara asked sincerely, causing Kyon to suddenly look up and acknowledge her.

"I'm fine. Thanks for your concern."

_Yeah. It's nice that someone cares. Haruhi certainly doesn't._

"Are you sure? Do you need anything?" Isara asked him, still sounding a little worried. She didn't know Kyon very well yet, but from what she could see, it seemed like he was just a regular, albeit confused boy. He was quiet though, and she wondered why. She hoped it didn't have anything to do with her and Welkin.

Kyon smiled. Isara's concern was in fact helping him up a bit.

"Well...I guess I could say that I am a little curious about that tank of yours. It's pretty interesting, and I can't say I wasn't surprised by its capabilities back in Bruhl a few days ago." he commented, his voice sounding a little more upbeat than before now.

"The Edelweiss? I'm sorry if you aren't used to tanks like it. My father and stepfather both put a lot of hard work into the design. At least, from what I can remember." Isara replied. Her voice sounded happier too, because it seemed like her concern was making Kyon open up a little more. She was glad about that.

"I'm sure they did. Still, I don't think I'm used to tanks of any kind, to be honest." Kyon said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head and laughing nervously.

Isara giggled. She was beginning to like this Kyon. He seemed a little bit more laid back compared to her brother. She could only wonder how he and his friend Haruhi got along so well.

"Would you like to help me with matienence? I could use a hand."

Kyon's eyes widened. He thought about her proposal. He knew absolutely nothing about tanks or maintaining them. He barely knew anything about warfare in the first place. Nevertheless, he was a little bit interested now.

_I guess anything to keep my mind off of Haruhi-related stress can't be a bad thing, right?_

"Sure. I don't have much else better to do."

_Haruhi would probably kill me if she found out I wandered off without telling her. Oh well. I'll just deal with her wrath later._

"Great! Let's hurry then!

Isara smiled as she unexpectedly grabbed Kyon's hand, in an effort to playfully pull him along. Despite trying his best not to think about it, Kyon could feel a slight hint of embarrassment building up in his stomach. Nevertheless, he tried to ignore it, and just let Isara lead the way to the vehicle sheds that lay outside of the academy.

__

"I can't believe this. Why did I have to be stuck with you?" Alicia complained on her top bunk as she glared down at Haruhi. Haruhi was in the middle of changing her top shirt, and she made no effort to ask for any privacy while she was changing. Despite the fact that both of them were girls, Alicia still found it kind of strange.

"I don't see what all the complaining is about, Alicia. You should be happy you're getting to be in the SOS Brigade Chief's presence." Haruhi replied without regret in her voice. Alicia just jumped down from her bunk, and made a very annoyed face at Haruhi.

"You talk like you're the greatest thing ever. Just because you've got that Kyon guy in the palm of your hand, doesn't give you the right to boss the rest of us around. And that especially applies to me! You forget I'm a sergeant, and that means I have a higher position above you!"

Haruhi's facial expression changed, and the mention of having Kyon in the palm of her hand made her blush slightly. From her own bunk, Susie watched the conversation unfold, but was just a little too meek to add any input of her own.

"Kyon's just an idiot. A loyal subordinate, but still an idiot nonetheless. And I don't have to listen to you anyway. I don't take orders from normal people!" Haruhi replied indignantly, which only seemed to infuriate Alicia more.

"But you do have to listen to Welkin, because he's the commander of Squad 7, which you're now a part of. You act so high and mighty, but like I said before, I don't think you'll be so confident when we have to go through basic training tomorrow. And that's just saying if we don't have a mission right after that as well!"

As Susie watched in silence, it seemed as if lightning was flashing between Haruhi and Alicia's eyes as they stared each other down. And who knows. Susie even thought she might have actually seen a spark for a second.

"I see where this is going. You think you can seduce Welkin and convince him to make it hard on me? Not a chance!"

Alicia blushed almost instantly at the Haruhi's statement, and she raised a fist in anger.

"What? You're crazy! I'd rather be captured by Imperial soldiers than be anywhere near him!"

Haruhi smiled to herself, knowing that she was beginning to hit Alicia in just the right spot.

"Sure. I'm not dense like Kyon, Alicia. You'll probably fall for him and his charm in no time."

Alicia was beginning to become speechless. She didn't even want to acknowledge what Haruhi was saying, but she couldn't just let it slide by. A few seconds passed by, and Alicia pointed a finger right at Haruhi, sputtering out her own accusations.

"Well...I bet you're just head over heels for Kyon! That's why you boss him around so much! I bet this "SOS Brigade" of yours is all just a ruse to get close to him!"

Haruhi gritted her teeth.

"Lies!"

"Don't go denying it, Haruhi!"

"I said it's Brigade Chief to you!"

"Oh yeah? Who's going to make me call you that?"

"I will!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Well I'd like to see you fail at even getting Welkin's attention for a second!"

"Hmph! Like I'd want attention from that airhead anyway!"

"You're just trying to hide your growing feelings for him! I bet you like him already!"

"Never! You're just spouting out nonsense!"

As Haruhi and Alicia continued to go back and forth like this, Susie was watching helplessly from her bunk, as she was unable to provide any mediation, nor did she want to even try side with either one of them.

"Oh dear..." she said quietly, sincerely hoping that it wouldn't be like this between Haruhi and Alicia every time they were together in this room.

__

Welkin was deep in thought now. Faldio was sitting beside him, listening as Captain Varrot began this meeting in which she had requested the presence of all the squad commanders.

"As you all may know, the Imperial Alliance's forces have been pushing our defensive line back for the last few days. We had estimated that they would reach the city of Vasel sometime later today, but reports from our scouts have told us otherwise. The Imperials have moved back towards their own territory, despite the fact that they were sighted only some fifteen miles away from Randgriz."

Welkin was confused. He couldn't possibly think of a reason for the Imperials to stop their advance. They had the perfect chance to surprise them, and it seemed like something had gotten in their way.

"I'm a bit perplexed. What could convince the Imperial forces to retreat back towards their borders?" Faldio asked, and Captain Varrot seemed as if she was unable to answer for a brief moment. She cleared her throat before responding to Faldio's question.

"Scouts have confirmed that something had engaged and then proceeded to scare off an Imperial tank battalion that had gone ahead of the main Imperial force. The details sound a bit unreliable however. I was informed that the tank battalion suffered a causality during the engagement; losing their commander."

Welkin couldn't help but become curious, despite hearing what sounded like reluctance in Captain Varrot's voice.

"Excuse me for asking, captain, but what exactly could have convinced an entire Imperial tank battalion to retreat after only one causality, despite it being their commander?"

Captain Varrot looked away for a moment, unsure if she should answer Welkin's question. She sighed quietly to herself before answering.

"Whatever caused this was described as a strange type of machine that didn't bear any resemblance to anything Imperial-made. The reports I received say that the machine towered over the Imperial tanks, and it moved more like a soldier than a vehicle. It took the full force of the entire battalion's fire, and came out unscathed before completely destroying the commander's tank in one blow."

Welkin's eyes widened, and Faldio couldn't help but feel slightly worried, despite not actually showing any sign of it.

"But just what kind of machine could do something like that?" Welkin asked, suddenly feeling incredibly curious as to what exactly could have done that to the Imperials.

"I am afraid I do not know myself. Nevertheless, it will be Squad 7 and Squad 1's job to investigate the nature of this strange machine. If it is in fact hostile as described, it could prove to be a threat to Randgriz. Tomorrow afternoon, your squads are to move out north and embark on your first mission."

Welkin just rubbed his chin in wonder.

"But for now, you are all dismissed."

"This is truly something..." Welkin said to Faldio as he stood up from his seat. He was now very interested in the coming mission tomorrow, despite the obvious danger that lie ahead. Faldio seemed to just smile in response to Welkin's usual curiosity. This kind of thing was nothing new to him.

"Let's just hope this something doesn't end up putting us out of commission. I'd like to sleep well knowing that you made it through your first mission safe and sound." Faldio said, half-joking, half-serious.

Welkin just nodded. He knew tomorrow would be important. Later today, he would make sure to formally introduce himself to the rest of his squad. Tomorrow, everything would just become a lot more serious. Welkin almost couldn't wait.

__

**A new chapter will come soon! And in that one, more characters will definitely make their debuts! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, I think my former writing spirit is clearly returning to me. This new chapter adds approximately...I forget...it adds a bunch of new characters to the story, but in no way does it just throw them in! To see just who, you'll have to read and find out. Enjoy. :)**

__

**TIME: 5:15 PM**

**LOCATION: 5 MILES OUTSIDE OF RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

Outside in the Gallian landscape, the air was beginning to cool, as the sun began to set in the distance. The sunset itself seemed to paint the entire sky a mixture of orange, red and hot pink. The Gallian countryside was undisturbed by neither Imperial or Gallian military movement, and at this very moment, almost anyone could feel at peace out here.

However, for anyone who might have happened to be in the area at the moment, they would have been subject to a tiny ringing noise that could be heard in this area. The noise was small and almost indistinct at first, but it quickly began to build up in volume as time passed. Above, birds flied erratically as the noise affected their hearing, and in a small stream nearby, the same noise caused light trout to collide into each other like bumper cars.

After a few more seconds, the terrible noise dissipated, leaving all those affected at peace once again. The light trout swam in a regular fashion now, and the birds above soared higher now that the noise was no longer bothering them.

A powerful flash of azure light burst outwards on the Gallian landscape, causing tiny animals to scurry away in fear. The light, followed by a instantaneous blue vortex, lit up the dimming landscape for only a second or two before disappearing in a flash. It left something in its wake, and that something was a person, who didn't know what had hit him at first.

Sitting on the Gallian ground was a teenage boy, who at first, didn't realize that his surroundings had changed so rapidly.

"Damn it! Just what the hell was that?" the boy remarked loudly, as he instinctively had been covering both of his ears with his hands. The boy was strongly built, with a head full of light blond hair. He wore a black school uniform with a maroon undershirt, and due to his new surroundings, his pants were already getting dirty with Gallian soil.

A muffled cry could be heard by the boy's right ear, and in an instant, the boy pulled his hand away, only to reveal not what should of his been his right hand, but instead what looked like a tiny, green-haired girl. She wore a tiny, white shirt with the words "I" and "Seiji" on it, and a heart in between the two. Right now, she looked as if she had been squished against something for an extended period of time, and it was easily apparent that she was panting for a breath.

"Ah...my bad. I keep forgetting you're there, Midori."

The girl on this boy's hand shook her head back and forth, before smiling wide as she looked right up to none other than Seiji Sawamura, or as many in his hometown knew him, "Mad Dog" Sawamura.

"It's okay, Seiji-kun! It's not like you meant to do it on purpose!" Midori replied in an overly cheerful voice, while Seiji tried to hold back an urge to groan from her sheer cuteness. It had only been a few days since he had discovered Midori in place of his right hand one morning, and Seiji was still trying to get used to life with a little girl on his right hand like this.

"Hey Seiji-kun...where did we go?" Midori asked, while Seiji looked back at her, suddenly confused.

"What do you mean? We're still right here in my...."

Seiji's eyes wandered all around him, and they fully absorbed the details of the surrounding Gallian landscape. Something clicked in the back of Seiji's mind.

"...room?"

Seiji's expression began to change rapidly from a passive one to a now utterly shocked one. He stood up quickly, and Midori began to get worried as she saw that Seiji wasn't looking too good.

"Wha....where the hell did we go!?! Where's my room? Where's...where's anything!?!"

Seiji glanced all around him, and although nothing about his current environment was necessarily threatening, he couldn't help but feel scared about that fact that he'd somehow been whisked away from his room in but an instant. He knew he wasn't going crazy. One minute, Seiji had been telling Midori to calm down and stop hugging his face, before a horrible ringing noise started building up in his ears. The next minute, he'd been trying to make it stop, only to realize that he was no longer on his bed, or even in his room, but somewhere else completely. Seiji scratched his head in wonder.

"Seiji-kun....I'm confused. Can we go back now?" Midori asked in a meek voice, mostly because she didn't feel too comfortable all of a sudden. She wanted to be back in the familiar place that was Seiji's room more than ever now.

"Go back? I don't even know how we got here! Did you see what happened to us, Midori?" Seiji asked the girl on his right hand, but she simply shook her head in response to his question.

"You had my face squished against your ear the whole time. Sorry, Seiji-kun."

Seiji grimaced when he realized that Midori probably knew as much as he did. The tall boy looked out behind him, and noticed that wherever they were currently was experiencing a beautiful sunset. Seiji couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight. It was actually kind of nice.

"Wow! The sunset looks so...romantic. Doesn't it look romantic, Seiji-kun?"

Seiji wasn't stupid. He didn't dare look down at the girl on his right hand, because he knew she would get all mushy on him at a time like this. For the seventeen years of his life so far, Seiji had yet to get a girlfriend or receive a confession of love, but on the day he found Midori Kasugano on his right hand, that all changed when she admitted that she'd had a crush on him for the last three years.

"Yeah, I guess."

Still, Seiji couldn't have a right-hand girlfriend. It was bad enough that she was even there in the first place, because that meant that he wouldn't be using his fearsome "Devil's Right Hand" much. He didn't dislike Midori, but he couldn't say that he liked her the way she liked him either. He barely even knew her.

"Are you alright, Seiji-kun? You look sad."

Seiji looked back at Midori again, acknowledging her with a small smile. Though he would never admit it, he was glad to have her on his hand for a moment. She had always been trying to cheer him up like this since becoming his right hand.

"Don't worry about me. We should be worrying more about just where we went, and how we ended up here."

Seiji looked up at the sky, which was beginning to change to a shade of dark indigo as the sun disappeared along the Gallian horizon. Midori looked up as well, but she couldn't help but get distracted as she took a moment to admire Seiji's strong features. She blushed to herself and giggled incessantly, as she was sure by now that Seiji Sawamura was really her one true love.

However, something ruined this quiet moment, and Seiji's eyes became serious as he realized he could hear something out of place in this landscape. He didn't even have to look behind him to know that someone was with them. The scraping of dirt on the ground a few feet away was just too obvious.

"Damn Gallian trash!" a voice screamed with fury, and it didn't take Seiji more than a half-second to hear the sound of rough footsteps barreling towards him. He waited for a moment, closing his eyes as his Midori retreated into his sleeve.

Seiji's eyes snapped open, showing pure ferocity that could easily burn through someone's soul. "Mad Dog" Sawamura sidestepped almost instinctively, causing the Imperial soldier's bayonet to hit nothing but air. Turning with near-perfect timing, Seiji's left hand went rocketing through the air, hitting the soldier's jaw with impressive force. Bloodied teeth flew out from the impact, and the soldier dropped his rifle as he fell backwards, hitting the dirt ground with a thud.

"You should fight face to face like a man. You'd still lose, but at least I'd have more respect for you." Seiji said with a devilish grin. Seiji put his foot on the soldier's chest, and leaned hard on his own leg, staring down the Imperial soldier with his piercing eyes.

"Gallian scum...you don't deserve to breathe air that should belong to the Empire!" the soldier shouted up to Seiji with a funny-sounding voice due to some missing teeth. Seiji just cocked his head, and laughed in the soldier's face. Midori remained hidden in his sleeve, a little afraid and not really wanting to be seen in the first place.

"Do you know who I am? Do you want they call me? **I'M MAD DOG SAWAMURA! REMEMBER THE NAME, COWARD**!" Seiji said in defiance, his voice almost blowing out the soldier's ears. At this point, he could feel the Imperial soldier slightly shivering under his foot, so now satisfied, Seiji took his weight off of him.

With that, Seiji walked over to the discarded rifle on the ground, and picking up, he examined it for a moment. His eyes showed a devilish glint, and with one hand, he smashed the rifle against his knee, showing the soldier just how serious he was. The gun splintered apart and broke into two halves, each of which kicked up dirt as they fell onto the ground.

"Well, there goes your toy. Come back and find me if you ever want a real fight, coward!"

Cleaning off his one hand of wood splinters, Seiji felt like he had done enough by this time. Midori remained in his sleeve, more worried about where they had ended up, and why strange people were attacking her Seiji-kun, and referring to him as "Gallian scum".

"Let's get out of here, Midori. I'd rather not sleep in the wilderness, and maybe there's somewhere around here where we can get a place to stay for night." Seiji told the girl on right hand, but before she could give him a cheerful response, a weak-sounding, but still angry voice emanated again from behind him.

"You goddamn wasted birth!"

The slashing of a Imperial combat knife never came, because it was almost by reflex that Seiji Sawamura turned around, and delivered a fast, painful punch to the stomach of the soldier that had gotten back up and tried to back stab him, The soldier coughed loudly from the blow, but Seiji ignored his pain, giving him a swift roundhouse kick to the face, which made sure he went back down to the ground. By this time, the soldier's knife had already flew out of his hand, and settled a few feet away in the dirt.

Seiji gave the man on the ground a dark glare, despite knowing fully well that he was definitely knocked out by now.

"Like I said; just come back and find me if you want a real fight. Or you can lay on the ground there for a little while. That's fine with me too."

"Can we go now, Seiji?" Midori asked innocently. She didn't really want to see too much of Seiji acting this violent anymore. She just wanted to know what was going on, and why they were in this new place.

"Yeah. Let's go, Midori. It's starting to get dark."

__

"Come on, Kyon-san! We don't have all day, and the Edelweiss needs a little cleaning and fixing up done!"

Kyon sighed as Isara pulled him along. By this time, they were already inside one of the many vehicle sheds that were lined up outside of this military academy, and all that was left was to actually reach the Edelweiss tank, which was somewhere inside this specific shed.

_I just hope we're not running around all night..._

Despite his negative train of thought, Kyon couldn't help but smile just a little bit. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy all the sudden attention he was getting from Isara. She was being very friendly, and to a guy like him, who had to deal with the likes of Haruhi Suzumiya on a daily basis, this was truly a godsend.

Soon, Isara had stopped running, stopping with Kyon in front of the massive form of the Edelweiss, which stood still next to other smaller tanks. It was easy to see the size comparison between the Edelweiss and smaller Gallian-class tanks, and Kyon was happy to know that this weapon was on their side.

As Isara pulled Kyon along towards the Edelweiss, two people seemed to watch them with very suspicious eyes. Kyon noticed this. And a few feet away, by one of the Gallian tanks nearby, he spotted a small group of four people, who were clearly eying him and Isara as if they had both committed some sort of crime.

"So let's see....we'll definitely need to oil the chassis. I don't think we want the Edelweiss rusting on us anytime soon..." Isara said as she looked up and down at her father's creation, but Kyon's attention was somewhere else. He didn't like the stares he was getting from these people nearby. They consisted of a tall, gruff-looking man, a woman with a sour expression, a blond-headed boy, and a equally young light gray-haired girl.

Kyon didn't like the faces he was being given. The older man and woman seemed to look at them with the most suspicion, while the boy and girl both looked more curious than anything else. Kyon rubbed the back of his head in nervousness, and brought his attention back to Isara.

"...and we should probably check the fuel supply, just in case. I'm sure there's enough to last us a day's worth of battle, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. You alright with helping me with this stuff, Kyon-san?" Isara asked innocently, just as Kyon started listening to her again.

"Um...yeah. I'll help you in any way you need me too, Gunther-san."

Isara giggled at Kyon for his formalities, but admired the fact that he thought about the notion nonetheless.

"Just call me Isara."

Kyon almost blushed at that moment.

_It's as if a little bit of Asahina-san had hit me right in the face. It was a sudden heavenly feeling._

__

"I don't think I like what I'm seeing right now."

Largo Potter seemed to easily figure out what his colleague, Brigitte Stark, or better known by her former stage name Rosie, was trying to say. She had been eying the girl and boy who had just started fixing up the Edelweiss, but most of all, she had been focusing a lot of her attention on the girl. The embroidered cape said it all to Rosie. This girl was none other than a Darcsen.

"I can't say I don't agree with you. To be honest, I don't like the looks of her friend either. Seems a little too carefree right now, if you ask me." Largo commented, crossing his arms as he leaned against one of the many Gallian tanks around here. Rosie still kept the same sour expression as she watched Kyon and Isara work on oiling up parts of the Edelweiss. The longer she looked at this Darcsen girl, the more she could feel painful memories surface in the back of her mind.

"What's so bad about them? It's just a Darcsen and some guy." the blond-haired boy, Homer Pieroni asked, a little confused as to just why Rosie sounded so pissed off.

"Hmph...just a Darcsen. You say that like it's nothing."

Both Largo and Rosie kept their eyes on the two, making Kyon even more uneasy than he already was. Meanwhile, the girl about the same age as Homer, Edy Nelson, seemed just a little more upbeat than her companions.

"If you want to know what I think...that guy's kind of cute." she said with an almost devious smile. Homer just seemed to feel worse at this comment, though he pretended to not hear it. Rosie just continued throwing Isara a death glare, while Largo's mind was already bored of focusing on the Darcsen and now wandering elsewhere.

Homer just sighed as he got another glance at the look in Edy's eyes. He wondered if it would ever be possible for him in a million years to get close to a girl like her.

__

"Damn...you do this all the time?" Kyon said as he carefully poured minute amounts of oil into some of the more miniscule parts of the Edelweiss's frame. Though there wasn't necessarily too much work to be done, Kyon could easily feel his arms tiring. For the last fifteen minutes, he'd been applying this oil to just about every nook and cranny he could find, and it was a bit annoying to do.

"Yeah. It's not really much though. I'm sorry if it's tiring you a bit." Isara said from down below. At the moment, she was currently refilling the large fuel tank of the Edelweiss, just so she knew for sure that they'd have a day's worth whenever their first mission came along. As her eyes scanned around, she spotted a loose screw on the fuel tank, and in an instant, she had her wrench out. Kyon watched from above as Isara took care of the tiny problem in just a couple of seconds.

"You sure know what you're doing." he said, wiping a bit of sweat off his brow as he scooted down the side of the Edelweiss. He came down next to Isara, and handed her the tiny canister of oil he'd been using just before.

"I think I got most of it." Kyon said, trying to sound cheerful for Isara even though he was easily beginning to get sick of this work.

_I'm not fit for this kind of stuff. My wrists feel uncomfortable._

"Thank you, Kyon-san."

As Kyon looked back at Isara, something couldn't help but cross his mind. The glares of those people...they were still bothering him. Why was that one woman looking at Isara with such a look? He wanted to know why.

"You wouldn't happen to know what's up with the rest of them, would you, Isara?" Kyon asked innocently as he gestured to the group of people still watching them from nearby. Isara looked over his shoulder, before turning around quickly, her expression changing from a happy one to a more indifferent one.

"Oh...don't worry about it. They just...aren't used to seeing people like me."

Kyon became confused.

_What does she mean? What kind of person do these people expect to see?_

"I don't understand."

Isara slowly turned back to Kyon, and her voice came out quiet and calm as she spoke. Kyon was listening intently now, as curiosity had fully grabbed him in its grip.

"You probably don't know any of this, but those people are looking at me funny because they can see the cape I'm wearing. The cape tells everyone that I'm a Darcsen."

"Darcsen? What does that mean?" Kyon asked, even more curious than before. If anything, being with Isara right now was taking his mind off quite a bit of things, most of them Haruhi-related.

"It's a bit complicated. Thousands of years ago, people talk about how an ancient race of warriors called the Valkyria rose up and took back their land from the Darcsen race. People look at Darcsens badly these days, because they say they were responsible for a terrible catastrophe, which everyone calls the Darcsen Calamity. I don't really know what to think, but being noticed like this is nothing new. I just try my best to ignore it."

From what Kyon could tell, Isara looked very uneasy. She definitely looked like she wasn't enjoying talking about this kind of thing.

_Well...Haruhi would accept you in a heart beat. And I don't see why I wouldn't either..._

"Hey. You shouldn't worry about it much."

Kyon slowly put his hand on Isara's shoulder, and he tried to give his best concerned look to her. Perhaps it was because she reminded him of Asahina-san in some ways, but he almost beginning to feel a strange connection to this girl. She was certainly someone he could easily consider a friend.

"I could care less if you were Darcsen or if you were from Mars. Trust me when I say that back home, I've got friends who are quite...interesting in their own right." Kyon told her, making sure he carefully worded the last part. In response to Kyon's kindness, Isara smiled wide up to him. Something about his presence made her feel a lot better all of a sudden.

"Thank you...Kyon-san. I'm glad I found a friend like you."

Deep down in her chest, Isara could feel a warm and fuzzy sensation the more she looked at Kyon's face. At a moment like this, she almost wanted to hug him, but she made sure to stop herself. Instead, she just felt very glad that she had met this boy.

__

"Everyone, in line!"

Responding to Alicia's command in unison, the now fully gathered Squad 7 stood up straight and faced forward. This time, Haruhi was lined up behind Kyon, so he didn't get to see if she had messed up on the command or not. Nevertheless, he assumed that she actually had the resolve to listen to others for once, and that she had lined up and got into correct posture just like everyone else.

Alicia looked back at all of Squad 7 with an indifferent face. She could easily recognize Kyon, Haruhi, Susie and Welkin next to her, but as for the rest of the squad, she'd yet to meet any of them. Nevertheless, introductions would come later. She had a job to do, despite not really wanting it in the first place.

"Command Gunther of Squad 7 will now commence with his inaugural speech." she said with a now passive face, and Welkin began to speak only moments after she had finished. His voice was calm, and concise.

"My name is Welkin Gunther, and as of today, I will be joining you as your commander in this war. It's nice to meet all of you."

In response to Welkin's introduction, all of Squad 7, including Haruhi and Kyon, saluted to the commander in a respectable fashion. Kyon resisted the urge to look behind him and see if Haruhi was actually saluting, so he assumed that she was.

"I think we can cut down on the formalities now." Welkin said with a carefree smile. Alicia's face became surprised all of a sudden, but she quickly regained her composure as she issued an order to the rest of the squad.

"Um...at ease, everyone!"

Slowly, the members of Squad 7 went into a more relaxed stance, and at this point, Kyon took a quick glance behind him. He spotted Haruhi, who was at ease like everyone else. When she saw him, she just threw him a glare, causing Kyon to turn back around in an instant. He sighed to himself once again.

_I wonder if she's angry at me for something I've yet to do...._

"This doesn't sound too appealing if you ask me. This Gunther person doesn't sound like my ideal pick for a lieutenant, much less a squad commander." Largo said to Rosie, who stood in line right next to him. As if reading his mind, Rosie's facial expression showed only disappointment.

"You don't have to tell me. The fact that he's accepting a Darcsen like nothing is more than enough to convince me that he's not the kind of commander I want to serve under." Rosie replied with obvious discontent in her voice. A few people away, Haruhi heard some of the things they were saying, and although she didn't really like Welkin a lot yet, she couldn't help but feel as if they were picking on him a bit too much. If anything, she should be the only one to say things like that.

"Now before I say anything more, I want to tell you all something. It's the most important thing in any battle. Would any of you happen to know it?" Welkin asked, only to get a slightly obnoxious response from Largo.

"Ha. That's a bit useless to ask. It's nothing short of experience."

Welkin looked to one side for a moment, absorbing Largo's response.

"Well...that's one important thing, but it's definitely not that most important."

Largo felt surprised all of a sudden, and Welkin looked up again, now addressing the entire squad as a whole.

"If anything, your life is the most important thing!"

Kyon raised a questioning eyebrow, while Haruhi seemed to be half-listening and gazing up at the ceiling in boredom.

_Isn't that kind of obvious?_

"What...what is this fool saying?" Largo said quietly, and at the same token, Rosie seemed to feel just as skeptical about Welkin's statement.

"We're in a war now. That is more than obvious. And while we're in this war, all of us are going to have quite a lot of experiences. Some might be happy, some might be frightening, and some might be sad. But no matter what they are; none of you will be able to feel any of them if you aren't alive. Because if you die, everything just ends for you there."

As Welkin spoke, Alicia seemed to become very interested in what she had to say. Her mouth was slightly open in awe, and she could feel a certain strength to his words. She wondered why he didn't speak in this manner more often. She would certainly like him a bit better if he did. At around the same time, Kyon was a bit surprised as well, not having expected to hear something meaningful come out Welkin's mouth. Even Haruhi was beginning to seemed interested in what he had to say, no longer looking at the ceiling, but at Welkin as he continued.

"As long as you're living, there is always hope. I want you all as members of Squad 7 to remember that. None of you should even be thinking of falling in battle. As the commander of this squad, I will take an oath to do my best in protecting your lives. That's why I want the rest of you to try your best in making it through this war."

Alicia took a quick glance towards Largo and Rosie, and she could easily see the disapproving looks on their faces. She sighed quietly to herself, and although she understood why they might not like what Welkin was saying, she still couldn't help but feel like she was more on his side than anything else.

"Remember my words. That is all." Welkin said, finally concluding his speech. Rosie and Largo still didn't seem satisfied, much to Haruhi's own annoyance, as she gave them both a glare from a distance.

__

It was night now. The cool Gallian air moved throughout the various vehicle sheds outside of the academy, and outside of one of them, Welkin stood by himself, looking up at the stars. He had a lot of things on his mind at the moment.

For one thing, they had a mission tomorrow, and it was one he hadn't yet mentioned to his squad. He would do it tomorrow before they headed out, but even still, he almost felt he was betraying his squad by not informing them immediately. Welkin knew that basic training for them beforehand would probably be bad enough without a mission right afterward.

Welkin sighed. Though he didn't show it, the idea of just being commander was stressing him out a bit. He wondered how Faldio was able to act so calm and collected all the time, and if he felt that way on the inside too.

As Welkin thought to himself, he began to hear what sounded like footsteps close by. He looked up, and in the distance, he could see what looked like a person walking towards him. As Welkin squinted in the darkness, not being able to see all that clearly, he could make out that the person wasn't dressed in a Gallian uniform. From Welkin's perspective, they just didn't look plain friendly.

And so, as if by reflex, he reached for the pistol in his pocket, slowly bringing it up by his side. He called out into the darkness, his voice sounding unsure.

"Who's there? Identify yourself!"

The person didn't respond. Welkin began to fear the worst. He slowly brought his gun upward towards the person approaching him, trying his best to focus his eyes in the darkness ahead.

"Did you hear me? Identify yourself! I will shoot if you give me cause to!"

Welkin was trying his best to sound threatening, but the fact of the matter was that this was more a fear of the unknown than anything else. He continued to point his gun at the approaching figure, which seemed to move faster in response to his statement.

"Stop! I will fire!"

Welkin steadied his aim, but to his surprise, the figure moved faster than expected, ducking down quickly as it sped up towards him. He became panicked, and started to change his aim, right before the dark shape bolted upwards. Welkin's grip on his gun suddenly slackened, as something hard and fast hit him right in the jaw, causing him to drop his pistol onto the ground. The figure was more visible now, though Welkin could barely make the person out as he fell back onto the exterior wall of the tank shed.

Welkin rubbed his throbbing jaw. That punch had been quite powerful, and he was surprised he hadn't been knocked out by it. Looking up, Welkin could now fully see the person towering over him, the moonlight illuminating them from behind.

It was a tall, dark blonde-haired boy, and judging from his facial expression, he didn't look to happy. His left fist was visible and clenched. From what Welkin could see, he was wearing a black uniform of sorts, and for all he knew, it could very well be Imperial-affiliated.

"Trying to shoot me, are we? Your little friend from before should have already told you about me!" Seiji Sawamura shouted down at Welkin, clearly unaware of the noise he was making. In Seiji's right sleeve, Midori hid, her green hair barely visible as she waited for this conflict to end soon.

"What...who are you? Are you some sort of Imperial assassin?" Welkin asked, backing up a little more into the shed wall and wondering just what he could do to gain the advantage of this situation. From the boy's movements before, and the punch he had just dished out, it was obvious that he was quite the fighter.

"You want to know who I am? I'm Mad Dog Sawamura, that's who!"

Seiji was already getting more ticked than ever now. He'd been targeted once already today, and now that this guy was trying to down him too, Seiji's anger was flaring up badly. However, another presence broke Seiji's train of through, and he could hear the sound of a serious voice to his right side.

"Don't even move a muscle. I promise that I will shoot you if you do."

Welkin looked to his side, and so did Seiji. Standing there was none other than Alicia, who steadily held a rifle in front of her, with the barrel pointed directly at Seiji Sawamura's face. Seiji's expression contorted in even more rage, but before he could do anything, he heard the sound of another person speaking right behind Alicia.

"I would probably listen to her. I wouldn't want my head blown off anytime soon." Kyon said in a relatively carefree voice, as he came up beside Alicia, who continued to keep her aim steady on Seiji. At this point in time, the rest of Squad 7 had gathered behind Alicia, and Seiji was easily beginning to notice that almost all of them had their rifles out, and smiles on their faces. Now outnumbered by gun-wielding soldiers, Seiji just grimaced angrily, and in his sleeve, Midori just tried to hide even more, as she began to shiver in fear.

"What...you damn cowards! This isn't a man's fight!" he argued, only to be responded by the loud and bossy voice of Haruhi Suzumiya.

"Man's fight? I'll give you something to complain about!" she said, and as Seiji turned to see the speaker, he was only met with a hard rifle butt to face, which smashed hard into his nose and blurred his vision in an instant. Midori squeaked in a terrified voice, and she was shaking in absolute fear.

Haruhi seemed to be smiling triumphantly now. Seiji moved back and forth erratically for a few moments, before he felt very dizzy, and in but a moment's notice, he fell backwards onto the ground. Members of Squad 7 moved in quickly, but Mad Dog Sawamura was already unconscious. Welkin got up, brushed himself off, and watched with serious eyes as Kyon and Largo proceeded to begin tying up Seiji's hands. However, Largo yelped in pain all of a sudden, and pulled one hand away. From what Kyon could see, something had bitten him, creating a tiny cut on his right index finger.

"You hurt my Seiji-kun! Don't any of you dare touch him!" Midori yelled in a nasty tone, revealing herself to everyone now. Almost all of Squad 7 looked very surprised at this strange sight. Kyon had his mouth open in awe, as he could fully see that this boy had what looked like a talking puppet of a girl attached to his hand.

"You all stay away!" Midori said defiantly, but something caught her attention before she could say anymore. That something was the fact that almost everyone around her was armed with a rifle each. Midori's body began to shiver in fear again.

"What...what is that?" Haruhi asked, but before Midori could give a response, she seemed to just faint from the fear of guns surrounding her and her beloved Seiji-kun. As they watched this little puppet-girl faint right before their eyes, most of the members of Squad 7 were simply dumbstruck at the sight.

"This...is quite strange." Welkin said as he rubbed his chin in curiosity, observing the now fainted Seiji Sawamura and Midori Kasugano, his mind in wonder at the strange phenomenon that these two were. As Kyon glanced at Haruhi, he could see a strange, but familiar glint in her eye. He gulped nervously as he held onto his rifle.

_Oh no...I think have a really bad feeling about this..._

____

There was a painful light in his eyes. Seiji didn't know where it was coming from, but he knew fully well that it was there. He coughed, and slowly began to regain his vision.

"I don't understand. An Imperial assassin...with something like this on his hand?" Captain Varrot said in confusion, as she looked down at the still-fainted figure of Midori, which was tied up separately from Seiji's other hand. As Seiji Sawamura began to come to, he realized that he was restrained in some sort of hard wooden chair, and that Midori was clearly in the view of those around him. Though he was still groggy, Seiji looked up, recognizing the man from before who had tried to shoot him, and a green-haired, glassing-wearing woman who he didn't know. He was in some sort of small, quaint room, filled with simple furniture and a bookcase in the corner.

"I can't say I'd be able to explain something like this. I just know that this boy attacked me outside, and after Private Suzumiya knocked him out, we found that he had this strange little being in place of his right hand." Welkin replied, slightly nudging one of Midori's arms. It was obvious that she was still unconscious.

"Hey! Don't touch her!"

Seiji's voice was very loud, and intimidating surprising both Welkin and Captain Varrot. The captain narrowed her eyes, and Welkin just made his own voice serious. He wanted answers from this boy now.

"You called yourself Sawamura before. Why didn't you identify yourself to me? Are you working for the Imperials?"

Seiji looked up at Welkin with devil's eyes, before gritting his teeth.

"Why should I answer any of your questions? You tried to blow my head off, and one of your toy soldiers nearly broke my nose." Seiji replied indignantly, much to Captain Varrot's dislike. Seiji could still feel the pain of the hard wooden rifle butt hitting against his nose.

"I don't understand why we're even doing this, Lieutenant Gunther. This boy is obviously affiliated with the Imperials in some way. I believe we should just send him to Randgriz. They can keep him comfortable in prison until he's put on trial." Captain Varrot said, but Welkin was thinking otherwise. For some reason, he wasn't convinced that this Sawamura boy even knew what the Imperials were. He was getting the same vibe from Sawamura that he had gotten when he first encountered Haruhi and Kyon back in Bruhl.

"Can you tell me where you're from?" Welkin asked, and Seiji looked up at him, his expression changing to a more passive one.

"Not from here, if you want an honest answer. I don't even know where the hell here is, and why people are pointing guns at me every other second. All I wanted was to find a place for me and Midori to sleep for the night."

Despite what Seiji presented himself like, Welkin couldn't help but almost believe the boy's words. He looked down at him, searching for an answer in Seiji's eyes. Welkin then looked back at the tiny girl that took the place of his hand. He had referred to her as Midori. To Welkin, something seemed out of place here. This boy was obviously confused.

"I've heard enough of these lies." Captain Varrot said, having become annoyed to even her limit. She didn't like this disrespectful boy one bit.

"Wait."

Captain Varrot put on a surprised face in response to Welkin's statement. He was a bold man to actually go against her words.

"I'd like to hear this, Lieutenant Gunther." she said, crossing her arms and feeling sudden disapproval towards Welkin.

"I think I know a better punishment then sending this boy to prison. I believe we should conscript him into the Militia instead. He doesn't seem to have any idea where he is, so I doubt that he's affiliated with the Imperials."

Captain Varrot raised a very questioning eyebrow. Was Lieutenant Gunther even thinking right?

"What?"

"I know it sounds strange, but trust me on this. I'll even take him into Squad 7. I'll make sure that he understands his offense."

Seiji could easily hear this man's words, and although he had the urge to say something against them, he didn't. In all honesty, Seiji was still confused as hell to where he even was. Looking back down at the still unconscious Midori, Seiji thought long and hard about his options. He wondered if what he was thinking was really a good idea at all. At the same time, Captain Varrot wondered if she should really allow what Welkin was saying. She thought about for a second, and by chance, she decided that she would give in to him just this once. She was curious to see the outcome of his choice; almost as a test of sorts for the lieutenant.

"What do you say, Sawamura? Would you consider joining Squad 7 as a pardon to your assault against Lieutenant Gunther?" Captain Varrot asked reluctantly. She didn't agree with Welkin one bit, but for some reason, she couldn't help but trust his judgment at the same time. She still had no trust for this Sawamura character however, and the fact that he had this little girl for a hand was disturbing her as well.

Seiji looked down for a moment, then glanced back at the unconscious Midori again. He didn't really have many options now. He sighed to himself, before answering quietly.

"Alright. You win for now."

Welkin smiled at Seiji's response despite the undertones in it. Though he only speculated the nature of how this boy came to them like this, he still felt better knowing that at least he was on their side for the time being. Rubbing his jaw again, Welkin realized just how much that punch of his had hurt.

__

Seiji liked the feeling of being able to feel his one wrist again, and not being restrained in that uncomfortable wooden chair. With his eyes focused ahead, he could see the door he was looking for up ahead, with the number "56" on it. He looked at the small, old key in his left palm, before glancing at the sleeping Midori in his right sleeve. Though she looked comfortable now, he still couldn't help but worry about her a little bit.

But for now, he had been given a place to stay, and despite not exactly knowing where it was, it was better than sleeping the wilderness. Seiji wondered to himself if agreeing to join this Lieutenant Gunther's squad was really such a bright idea.

As Seiji fiddled with the door to his room for the night, he could hear voices from down the hallway. Glancing to his side, he spotted what looked like three girls, and they were watching him as he struggled to get his door open. All three were looking at him with curiosity, though they seemed to keep their distance.

"He doesn't look very friendly." the usually quiet Marina Wulfstan said to the two girls with her, Edy Nelson and Susie Evans.

All three of them, along with the rest of Squad 7, had been informed by Lieutenant Welkin that this boy they had detained before, who Welkin had referred to as Private Sawamura, would officially be conscripted into their squad as of tomorrow. Being the most curious out of the three, Edy had managed to convince her two friends to investigate this newcomer. However, all three of them still kept their distance, and at a time like this, the two parties watched each other from afar in an awkward fashion.

Seiji wondered just what they were saying, but as he struggled to open the door in front of him, he wondered if they were scared of him like most everyone else he knew, or if they were perhaps just curious. A ray of hope shined in his heart for a moment. He smiled just a little bit.

"I think he's much cuter than that Kyon guy! Maybe one of us should go talk to him." Edy suggested in a semi-whisper, the look on her eyes clearly telling Marina and Susie that she was beginning to get interested in this new guy. The mostly silent Marina said nothing, and Susie just felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. When she glanced at Seiji again, she thought she saw him looking at her for a moment.

"You go ahead, Edy-san. I'm a little scared..."

Edy put a friendly arm around Susie's shoulder, and just smiled as she spoke in a voice that might have been a little too loud.

"Don't be shy, Susie! This guy's a catch that we shouldn't let get away. I bet he's probably a sucker for cute girls like us."

Seiji almost couldn't help himself at this point. He was admiring one girl in particular from this distance. The blond one with the pink ribbon in her hair specifically. Seiji could feel his cheeks go hot, much to his own embarrassment. He was beginning to think that this one girl was really kind of attractive. He hit himself in the forehead however, realizing that he had stopped attempting to open his door while staring at her like an idiot. Edy laughed at this, and turned to a still nervous Susie. Next to the two of them, Marina stayed silent, content with not providing any input.

"Did you see that? I think he likes what he sees, Susie." Edy said with a giggle, causing Susie to blush bright red. She looked away now, unable to cope with the idea that someone, especially a boy, was noticing her like this.

"This is embarrassing, Edy-san. Can we go now?"

Seiji had finally gotten his door open. Giving the three girls one last look, he rushed inside, having felt too much like an idiot already. Closing the door behind him, he sighed to himself, and made sure that Midori was still asleep. Much to his relief, she still was.

"I think he likes you, Susie. You shouldn't be so shy about it. Guys like girls who are more forward! You should have given him a wink or something. That would definitely make him want you to come back to his room with him!"

Susie blushed brightly now, and replied to her friend in a much louder sounding voice than before.

"Edy-san!"

Edy giggled to herself again. It was fun teasing Susie like this.

"I'm just joking. We should get back to bed now anyway. It's getting late."

Susie sighed in relief, while Marina thought long and hard about what had been said. There was something the quiet girl thought she might have missed in the exchange.

"Good grief...." Susie said to herself, feeling a lot better now that she didn't have that boy staring at her anymore. Even still, when she thought about it, she found herself blushing again.

"You like him, don't you?" Edy asked again, a devious smile appearing on her face when she noticed Susie's blush.

Susie easily got all flustered again at Edy's accusation.

"Oh...please just stop already..."

Back in his new room, Seiji Sawamura was laying down on one of the bunks, grunting slightly as he tried to get comfortable. It was a rough bed, and definitely nothing like his much more comfortable one back at home. Nevertheless, it was better than nothing. Near his ear, Midori slept soundly on the other side of the pillow. Seiji couldn't help but admit that she was cute when she was sleeping this peacefully.

Still, that girl's face almost immediately came back into his mind. He had thought he saw her blush, and then turn away from him. Come to think of it, her one friend was very loud, and it sounded like they were saying things about him, but he couldn't really figure out what.

He saw the image of Susie blushing in his mind again. Slowly, Seiji could feel a big grin forming on his face. He began to feel very, very good.

"Maybe this place isn't so bad after all..." he said to himself, before closing his eyes, and wishing for a good night's sleep that he badly needed.

__

**TIME: 9:12 PM**

**LOCATION: 30 MILES FROM RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

__

It was starting again.

The noise. It was nothing more than a low ringing, but it continued to rise in volume as time passed. The ringing noise pierced into the ears of all the animals of the night, causing them much discomfort as it kept going. Tiny shrieks could be heard, and creatures of all kind screeched and cried in pain at the terrible noise.

And then, as quickly as it came, the noise stopped. The night became peaceful again, and it seemed as if all was well as before. The various animals around the area stopped their noises, and those who roamed during the day returned to a sleeping state.

A brilliant flash of blue light blasted through the darkness of the night, scaring many creatures that had previously been subject to the terrible ringing noise. Following the flash was an almost instantaneous vortex of blue energy, which disappeared almost as quickly as it came, leaving behind five separate figures, each of which seemed to react in almost an instant to their change of location.

"Well....that was certainly unexpected." a voice said, belonging to one of these five strangers in the quiet forest. The speaker in question was a short Chinese man dressed in a green robe, who had a strange, almost excited glint in his eyes. He stood with his hands in his sleeves, looking around calmly even though he didn't have much of an idea where he was.

"You didn't have to go telling me, Kensei. Although I'm wondering just what the hell happened in the time between us being in separate parts of the dojo to being together like we are now." another, much more manly voice said, this one belonging to a large, heavily built man. He was very tall, and a nasty scar was noticeable on his face, sitting horizontally above his nose.

"Apachai is confused! What happened to the game? I was winning!" the voice of a truly gigantic man said next, although it sounded very childlike in comparison to his appearance. He was much larger compared to his companions, and he wore the kind of clothes usually seen on a kick-boxer.

"I...was losing. The place around us...it's different." a slow-speaking voice said, which belonged to a beautiful and imposing woman, who was clad in a purple kimono which did little to conceal her noticeable bust. Multiple swords could be seen resting on her back.

"I have good news for all of you. I think I understand what happened. Yes. It's very clear now." a final voice commented, belonging to a man in a white gi, who had a thin mustache on his face and an almost unnatural glint to his eyes as he rubbed his chin inquisitively, looking up at the stars in the night sky above.

The other four masters of the Ryozanpaku Dojo; Ma Kensei, Sakaki Shio, Apachai Hopachai, and Shigure Kosoka, all looked towards the final speaker and master, Akisame Koetsuji, who still was looking up at the stars with interest.

"Let's hear it then, Akisame! What the hell just happened to us, and why are we in some random forest?" Sakaki said in his usual loud voice, and in response, Akisame smiled strangely. He wasn't smiling because he had a perfect response, but more because the situation was beginning to be very interesting in his eyes.

"I believe that the stars above say it all. Their alignments are off. In this clear of a sky, free of light pollution of any kind, I cannot spot a single recognizable constellation. Therefore, the only possible answer is that we seem to no longer be on our own planet Earth." Akisame replied, his eyes still searching the stars above, but knowing full well that he would find nothing he was looking for.

Apachai made a funny face, and it was one that signified that he was now a little scared, and quite a bit confused.

"Apachai doesn't like this! Let's go back to Ryozanpaku! Apachai wants to see Kenichi again!"

Ma Kensei had already taken a look at the stars as well, and he too knew full well that Akisame was right. From what this Chinese master could see, they definitely weren't on what they knew as Earth any longer.

"This is very disappointing. I was beginning to enjoy training that boy." the Chinese master said in a saddened voice. From behind him, Shigure seemed to almost pop up out of the darkness, holding in her hand a long kitana, with over eight large fish stuck upon it in the fashion of a make-shift kabob.

"I found food. The forest is very big. No one else for miles." she said in her usual, slow tone of voice, causing Ma Kensei to look up behind him, only to see still flopping fish on that sword of hers.

"Damn it! Just what the hell happened to us, Akisame? When did we just leave our planet like nothing?" Sakaki asked, clearly pissed off to his limit now. In his anger, his fist went straight for a nearby tree, and a terrible cracking noise could be heard as he punched a hole right through the thick trunk. Wood splinters flew through the air, and Ma Kensei grabbed one in an instant with lightning fast speed, putting it in the corner of his mouth like a toothpick.

"Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question, my friend. I only know that we have left our Earth, and we are somewhere else entirely." Akisame replied, and in an almost impossible motion, he stepped down on some of the larger splinters of wood from the tree Sakaki had punched through, and turning his foot with perfect precision, he created enough friction from the force to cause a burst of flame to sprout up from the wood on the ground. Pushing a few more pieces of discarded wood into the flame, Akisame had made a fire in seconds, and with minimal effort.

"We should eat." Shigure said to the others, before putting her kitana above the now lively fire, and beginning to roast the fish she had caught so they would become nice and brown.

"Apachai is sad. I miss Kenichi!" the great Muay Thai master said as tears began to to form in his eyes, and as he sat down, the other five masters followed, each taking their place around Akisame's newly created campfire. Ma Kensei patted Apachai's back, hoping to make him feel just a little better.

"There, there...we'll be back to Ken-chan in no time."

As Shigure continued to watch her stuck fish burn in Akisame's fire, the Jujitsu master looked up again at the stars, wondering in the back of his mind just where they had gone. He looked back at his fellow masters, and couldn't help but feel a strange sense of insignificance. It was a time like this where the concept of the "universe" suddenly felt very, very small to this martial arts master.

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**Hope you enjoyed that, and liked the appearance of Seiji Sawamura and Midori Kasugano, a lot more of the Valkyria Chronicles cast, and the five masters of martial arts from History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi. New chapter to come soon enough, with even more surprises in store! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, willing readers! A new chapter arrives, and it introduces yet another new character to the story! Rest assured that the amount of characters left to introduce is winding down now, and soon enough, the intensity of the plot will begin soon enough. I just hope you enjoy what's happening so far. I certainly am. :)**

**___  
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**TIME: 9:34 PM**

**LOCATION: 30 MILES FROM RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

The moon was full tonight, casting its bone white glow all across the Gallian landscape. In the surrounding area, nocturnal creatures of all kinds scurried about, using the cover of the night to help them in their quest for food. On this specific night, Gallia had once again been visited by strangers from another world.

Sitting nimbly on a high tree branch, a prodigy of the sword, Shigure Kosaka, looked up at the starry sky with an indifferent face. She did not know if her comrades were asleep or not, but she certainly wasn't tired. Being one of the five masters of martial arts from the Ryozanpaku Dojo, Shigure was no doubt used to this kind of solitude. As she looked up into the sky with a blank expression and her legs curled up to her chest, Shigure's tiny pet mouse Tochūmaru sat on her right shoulder, nibbling on a piece of rice as its owner just continued to ponder over the current situation before her.

"…strange place…." Shigure said to herself quietly. She wasn't as confused as she was curious. She, along with the other masters, had all been in the familiarity of their dojo only some time ago. This strange situation had began when a mysterious blue light had overcome them. Now they were all together in some strange new place, or as Akisame had described it, a whole new world.

She wouldn't have normally believed it, but if Akisame was the one explaining it to them, then it was most likely credible.

For a moment, Shigure inspected one of her spare kunai in boredom. Her eyes scanned over the metal, and for a brief second, she thought she saw the smiling reflection of Ryozanpaku's newest disciple, Kenichi Shirahama. She almost thought he had been behind her, but a familiar voice easily alerted her that it wasn't Kenichi with her at all.

"Reminiscing a little, Shigure-don?" Ma Kensei asked almost jokingly, which only seemed to aggravate Shigure, despite it not showing on her face. She threw the kunai in her hand backwards with inhuman speed, only to find out that Kensei had easily caught it between his fingers. The Chinese master was smiling wide at Shigure, with one hand holding onto a high tree branch to keep him from falling. He almost looked like some kind of chimpanzee.

Shigure gave him a sort of annoyed look before turning her attention back to the night sky. She didn't want to be bothered right now.

"Don't sneak up on me. I like this quiet the way it is."

Ma Kensei smiled underneath his mustache. He hadn't see Shigure annoyed like this very much, so he couldn't help but feel giddy at the sight. He badly wished for his camera right now.

"You shouldn't try to cut yourself off from us so much. We're just as confused as to what happened to us." the Chinese master said, stroking one side of his mustache with his free hand, Shigure's kunai still in between the fingers.

"Akisame is not confused." Shigure replied, her gaze still on the sky and indifferent as usual.

Ma Kensei grinned, and did a somersault upwards so that he would land with both feet on the tree branch. He positioned himself like some sort of spider monkey, his balance perfect.

"He may not be confused as the rest of us, but he still doesn't know too much either. Trust me when I say that even he can get a little homesick. And judging from how long we might be here for; that could happen very fast."

"I'm not…homesick. I just want to know where here is." Shigure responded quietly, her gaze glued to the starry night sky.

"Fooling me isn't that easy."

Shigure turned back to Kensei again. His face was a little more serious now.

"I'm missing Ken-chan as well. I think just about all of us are. Even Akisame."

Despite the expression showing on her face, Ma Kensei's words had actually reached Shigure. Though the weapons master wanted to keep her attention on the stars more than anything else, she quickly realized that she did in fact miss that boy. Like Kensei and the other masters, Shigure also had developed a fondness for Kenichi Shirahama, despite only knowing him for a limited amount of time. His tenacity and willingness to go through even the most back-breaking training had lit a spark in the hearts of everyone at the Ryozanpaku Dojo, and even Shigure had to admit she was no exception. It was a pity he had only been through a week of training before this incident had occurred.

If anything, Kensei would have loved to know what was going on in Shigure's mind. He was no mind reader like Akisame though, so he knew such a thing wouldn't be possible for him.

And so, although he would have gladly talked to her some more, Ma Kensei could easily tell that Shigure probably wanted some alone time, and he was interrupting that. Putting on another smile, the Chinese master spoke warmly again as he began to grip the tree branch below him.

"Well, I think I've said enough. Hopefully we can find out more about where we are tomorrow. For now, I think I need some rest. Try not to hurt your brain with all that thinking, Shigure-don." Ma Kensei commented with laughter in his voice, before he pushed off of the tree branch below him, flipping downwards towards the ground below. Only the sound of his robe catching air could be heard, before he disappeared completely from Shigure's view.

Shigure had nothing she could have said to him at the end of their conversation, so the fact he had left so quickly didn't matter to her. She turned her attention back to the stars now. Their brilliant lights in the sky did little to keep her from becoming distressed. In fact, they were somehow reminding her more of Kenichi. On top of that, she was beginning to become very bored, and even sleep did not appeal to this weapons master at a moment like this. She looked at Tochūmaru on her shoulder, before cupping the little animal in her hands, and putting him down behind her on the branch.

"Stay here. I need…air." Shigure said to her tiny companion. The little mouse just nodded up to her, as if he had completely understood just what she said.

Slowly, Shigure leaned over the side of the tree branch, and without warning, she let herself fall down towards the ground. Even as she was free falling, it seemed as if gravity didn't apply to her, and she just nimbly descended down to the ground. Landing on both feet almost perfectly like a cat, Shigure looked from side to side, just to see if any of her fellow masters were still awake. There was a chance Akisame was, but Shigure had assumed he would me more interested in figuring out where they were than sleeping anyway.

Knowing now that the coast was clear, Shigure made a dash to her left, going between two gigantic trees as she went deeper into the forest. She made no noise as she ran, and her movements were so fluid and perfect it was as if nature itself was almost giving way to her approach. Shigure's eyes focused on the darkness ahead, and it was as if her mind had already analyzed this forest from the tallest oak to the tiniest insect.

She ran; slowly taking her mind off of any thoughts regarding Kenichi Shirahama.

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A blast of cold air.

That was what this man felt after the flash. Before it, he hadn't really felt too much. In fact, one could say he didn't even really _exist_ before he was literally pulled out of his own plane of existence.

The man rolled onto the ground unexpectedly, his mind spinning as if he had just been thrown out of a tornado. His vision was blackened, and he did not yet know that he had been expunged from his home universe, and brought to another one entirely. If anything, this man was trying to regain his composure and get his face off the ground of this forest.

He was pissed, spitting dirt out of his mouth upon after recovering from his rough landing. The man was dressed in an armored, red overcoat, and he had brilliant white hair coupled with features suitable on a sculpture. His limbs were long and almost gangly, though his figure was clearly strong and muscled as well.

"Damn novice..."

Slowly, the Servant known as Archer stood up from the ground, and he fully absorbed his new surroundings. Looking from side to side, he could see that he was in a large clearing, surrounded by tall conifer trees. The air was unfamiliar to Archer, and the environment in general wasn't too much to his liking.

He looked behind him, expecting to see none other than the Master who was responsible for summoning him in such an inexperienced manner. Thoughts of insulting this rookie Magus almost immeaditely entered the Servant's mind.

Behind Archer, there was no one to insult. The Master he had expected to see wasn't there at all, causing the Servant to just frown in annoyance. Archer let out a deep sigh.

"Great. I ended up with an imbecile..." Archer said to himself with an annoyed tone of voice. He hated to think that he had gotten a idiot Magus as a Master. With that thought on his mind, Archer's eyes almost instantly got caught up in something directly in front of him. The Servant's expression changed quickly, and his eyes narrowed seriously at the sight in front of him. His brain kicked into a different mindset. He wasn't alone here.

The Servant's thought process quickly shifted with knowledge of a new presence. Archer knew now that the heat of battle was approaching swiftly for him.

He saw a girl. To be specific, a girl dressed in an almost tight-fitting purple kimono and long-black stockings that ended in sandals. She certainly looked like an older girl however, as even Archer couldn't be completely unfazed by her extremely noticeable bust.

Nevertheless, Archer wasn't one to hesitate at a time like this. He knew his purpose. He was but a Servant, used in the Holy Grail War to fight and defeat other Servants. Under the guidance of a Magus, that was his one and only purpose.

With his superior eyesight, Archer could easily see the long metal blades on the girl's back. He could see the tiny details that were the kunai hidden in her black stockings. He could see the kusarigama hanging at her side, and the pointy star shapes of shuriken visible right beside it. The word "Assassin" almost immediately conjured itself up in Archer's mind, putting him into a sudden state of autopilot.

There was no thinking at a moment like this. Archer had already begun using his mana stores, knowing that he would have to make due with his own supply till his Master decided to show up. In less than a second, two curved blades, one predominantly white and one predominately black, materialized in his hands. His Projection magic had been more successful, and with another burst of mana, he used Reinforcement on himself as well. The twin swords _Kanshou_ and _Bakuya_ were now under Archer's will.

He was never one to hesitate. Without any sort of warning, Archer charged forward with blinding speed, his twin swords ready to make short work of Shigure Kosaka.

__

For the brief second that it took for Archer to reach Shigure, it was almost as if the forest was silent. The Servant moved like an unrestrained wind, his mind focused on the idea that this enemy would be unable to react to such a sudden attack. With both swords gripped tightly in his hands, Archer knew it would take only one good swing to finish off this new opponent.

Archer swung upwards with _Kanshou_, almost sure that a blow at this speed would no doubt reach a vital spot. He put all his power into the blade, and waited to hear the satisfying sound of metal hitting partially corporeal flesh.

Instead, there was a clang. Metal hit against metal, but it was clear that one movement was much more precise and controlled than the other. Archer felt his heart skip a beat. Something unexpected had happened.

He looked up, only to see that this girl had in fact blocked his blow. Her kitana was flat-edged against his, and he could feel her pushing back against him, making a move with his other blade a death wish. If he decided to shift his weight now, she could land a slice right through his neck. Not that Archer was afraid of the concept of death at a moment like this. If his supposed Master showed up anytime soon, then he wouldn't have too much to worry about.

Still, he was a little surprised. He hadn't even seen this girl pull out her sword. It was almost as if it had instinctively come out by reflex. The blade had moved so fast that it had evaded Archer's near perfect eyesight. The same eyesight he had increased even more with Reinforcement.

"Slow hit." Shigure said to the Servant in a quiet voice, causing him to just grit his teeth and tense up. He wasn't going to let a simple block like this deter him.

Archer moved back slightly, creating space between himself and Shigure as he regained his stance. With his two swords in hand, he sprinted along her flank, slashing both blades simultaneously with complete killing intent.

Another metal clang followed. The swords had come down very fast, but compared to Shigure's block, they might as well have been cutting through mud. Shigure easily had already put her long kitana between her body and both of Archer's twin swords.

Archer's mind swerved into momentary shock. He was beginning to become confused as well. Was this a Heroic Spirit that even he didn't stand a chance against? In all his days, he had never imagined a sword moving so fast in someone's hands. And even more so, he wondered why the superior metal of both of his blades hadn't broken this girl's weapon yet. He could have been wrong, but it seemed like she was using nothing but an ordinary kitana. The thought of what her Noble Phantasm could be like almost scared him. Nevertheless, he shook off his fear. He wouldn't let it get to him at a time like this.

"I see that your Master ended up with someone powerful, Assassin. You fight with unexpected precision." Archer said with an almost carefree tone of voice. Shigure's face slowly became more surprised at his statement, but the power in her block remained nonetheless.

"…Assassin?"

Shigure had suddenly become curious of the situation before her. This stranger had done nothing less than charging at her with swords in hand, and proceeding to incite a battle with her that he probably couldn't win. Now he was referring to her as some sort of assassin. The truth of the matter was that he had been the one who had attacked her unprovoked.

Watching the situation closely, Archer could see the look on Shigure's face, and he decided to trust his own instincts in the fact that she could be off-guard now. Without hesitation, Archer twisted backwards, bringing one of his swords straight towards Shigure's midsection. The blade cut through the air fast, intent on piercing soft, unprotected flesh. For a second, Shigure had almost been distracted. Her attention to the battle returned quickly however, and her sword cut through the air effortlessly in response to Archer's strike.

Much to Archer's surprise, his sword met nothing but metal, along with a hard and unexpected thrusting force that followed.

The sword _Kanshou_ flew into the air, having been struck right out of Archer's hand from the force that had accompanied Shigure's parry. The weapons master now took the initiative to strike back, and with perfect accuracy, she slashed horizontally along Archer's stomach, cutting cleanly into his armor and slicing across the skin of his gut.

Archer could feel pain shooting up his stomach. The blade had cut almost perfectly, and he had half-expected his guts to come spilling out any minute. However, the wound was only superficial, and although it stung badly, Archer sucked it up and stood up strong. He glared at Shigure, who continued to wear an indifferent expression, her eyes almost staring Archer down.

"Who are you?" she asked casually, her sword at her side and her long black hair moving with the calm forest breeze. Archer contemplated on providing her with an answer, but he changed his mind when he could feel _Kanshou_ instinctively rematerialize in his hand, causing him to decide his next move without much thought.

With his mind focused on the blow, Archer gathered all his strength in his arms as he stabbed forward with both of his twin blades. Both swords sliced through the air with zero resistance, and in that moment, Archer was sure he could break through this opponent's defense.

"Too slow."

After her monotone statement, Shigure's kitana came fast and without hesitation. She had already figured out that this person wasn't planning on answering her question. She had figured out his blows were all aiming towards her death. Knowing this, Shigure knew she had little choice beyond incapacitating her new opponent.

With astouding prescision and skill, Shigure Kosaka's kitana had managed to simeoultaneously parry both _Kanshou_ and _Bakuya_, knocking both blades out of Archer's hands at nearly the same time. As her kitana cut through the air, a swift counter from it followed. About a second after being disarmed of both his weapons, Archer could feel a sudden cold pain in his shoulder.

He looked to towards the source of the terrible sensation, and he only got a glimpse of the kitana sliding itself out of his cut shoulder. The wound was deep and fresh, as the blade had cut perfectly through, puncturing his axillary artery. Blood rapidly flowed from the wound, and Archer could feel a newfound dizziness overtaking him.

The world rocked unnaturally in front of him, and for the few seconds before falling backwards, Archer couldn't help but watch Shigure as she returned her kitana. He was almost amazed at a moment like this. He had fought many Servants in the past, but he had been thoroughly surprised by this one. The movements coming from her blade were both so beautiful and deadly at the same time.

"You win. How unexpected..." Archer said weakly, and he laughed once before he fully lost consciousness from rapid blood loss. The Servant's entire body fell backwards, and he hit the ground below him with a thud, the wound on his shoulder slowly seeping fresh blood into the Gallian soil. As quickly as they had come, both _Kanshou_ and _Bakuya_ disappated into the air, leaving their master weaponless and beaten.

__

Shigure was looking down now. She was staring almost absent-mindedly at the body of this stranger, and she watched as he lost more and more blood at an extremely fast rate. In less than a minute, he'd be dead.

Shigure considered leaving him here, going back to where the other masters slept, and forgetting all about this short conflict. She would have no real blood on her hands; not that the concept was really new to her anyway. He was some stranger who had attempted to kill her anyway. Why would the thought of saving a would-be assasin even cross her mind?

Yet, as Shigure looked down at Archer, she felt almost compelled to do something about his condition. She hadn't been serious at all in their brief battle, but even still, Shigure had easily sensed the power and intent in this stranger's blows. She had sensed precision that would have overcome someone else in a heart beat. He had still lost to her though. While he was skilled, she had sensed a degree of arrogance in his blows. He had much to learn when it came to sword fighting.

Shigure looked down again. This man continued to bleed to death. A strange idea crossed her mind. She acted on it without second thought. The fact was that even she didn't know what she was thinking.

Shigure proceeded to crouch down, and slowly, she picked up Archer in her arms. With unnatural speed, she reached into one of her stockings, and pulled out a single kunai. By stabbing the metal projectile into the wound, blood stopped coming from it in an instant, as Shigure had effectively blocked off the tiny slit which had opened up the artery in the first place. It still needed to heal fully, but at least Shigure knew he'd last for now.

Looking down at her defeated foe with indifferent eyes, Shigure dashed back into the darkness of the forest, an unconscious and dimensionally-displaced Archer cradled in her arms. This was a strange new experience for her.

__

It was as if a haze had overcome him for the longest time. Archer was confused, but at the same time, he was trying his best to accept his fate. When Shigure had pulled out her kitana from his shoulder, he knew that the battle was lost. In fact, Archer knew the battle was lost from the beginning. He had just tried to ignore the idea. If he had just figured out the skill level of his enemy from the first blow, he could have escaped to live and fight another day. Whoever the identity of this Servant was, Archer knew by now that she had fit the role of Assasin quite well. He hadn't seen such skill with a sword beyond the likes of Saber.

But now, all Archer could see was darkness and feel wind passing through his hair. He was moving with the help of something, but he had no idea what.

If Archer could sigh, he would. The world just felt hazy to him now, as if he was trapped in a fog. He had lost because of carelessness once again. There was nothing for him to do now.

___

**TIME: 8:14 AM**

**LOCATION: 30 MILES FROM RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

"He was armed, you say? I must admit he looks like an interesting person. However, I have a strange feeling he might not be from this place either."

"He…fights well. Not very good at dodging though."

"Do you expect just anyone to dodge your strikes? Hell, sometimes I don't even think I could dodge them!"

"Apachai thinks this guy is lucky. He could have been dead! But you saved him, Shigure. You really are a good person!"

"I can't help but be a little bit interested in all this, Shigure-don. Why did you find the heart to save this fellow? I know I've rarely seen that side of you often."

"It…doesn't matter, Kensei. He's waking up."

The first things that Archer could hear were the voices. As he slowly came to, a menagerie of voices, each sounding very different from the next, resonated in his ears. One was familiar however. If his memory was correct, it sounded like one of the voices belonged to the blank-faced kitana-wielding girl who had beaten him. The Servant Assasin.

His vision was still blurry, but it became clearer as his body restarted. The sound of birds chirping nearby could be heard, and as Archer fully opened his eyes, he could feel strong sunlight burning into them. He tried to block the sun with his right hand, but a horrible stinging pain in his shoulder stopped him from doing so. He tried not to wince.

"Don't move. The injury is still healing." Shigure said to Archer, looking down on him. He was leaning on a large tree for support, surrounded by the five masters of the Ryozanpaku Dojo. Shigure had personally brought Archer back to their camp the night before, and it was only this morning that the masters had been told of this stranger's arrival.

Archer tried to see through the bright sunlight. He could see five silhouettes surrounding him. Though he was still weak and a bit dazed, an aura of great power emanated from all five of these people. Despite his current state, Archer spoke as normally as he could.

"Who…who are all of you?"

Kensei looked up at Apachai, and even Sakaki knew that there was no point in even trying to answer the stranger. Shigure remained completely silent, and as all had expected, Akisame was the first to speak.

"A better question would be who exactly you are. But to answer your question, I am Akisame Koetsuji." the jujitsu master said politey. Archer was beginning to become slightly confused. If he was truly still alive, his supposed Magus should have arrived by now. Could it be one of these people his Master? Archer thought about it, but nearly hit himself for thinking so stupidly. He would have definitely known by now if such a thing was so.

"My name is Ma Kensei. The large fellow here is Apachai Hopachai." Kensei said with a smile, his hands covered underneath his robes in a polite fashion. Apachai waved down happily at Archer.

"I'm Apachai! Nice to meet you!" he exclaimed excitedly.

A sharp crack could be heard, and Sakaki sighed as he let the broken pieces of his last beer bottle fall down onto the ground.

"Sakaki Shio." He said, his tone of voice making it sound like he couldn't care less about an introduction. Archer looked all around as these masters introduced themselves to him. A short Chinese man, a huge kick boxer, a disgruntled guy with a scar above his nose, and a gi-wearing man whose voice sounded very imposing. They all had this imposing aura of power that bothered Archer just a little.

And there was one person who had yet to introduce herself. When Archer set his gaze on her, he could feel the same presence that he felt when just looking at all the other masters. The girl who had beaten him before; she had the exact same aura of power. If Archer didn't know better, he might have said that these five people had the intimidation value of an entire army. By now, he was beginning to beleive that she was no Servant. Still, Archer couldn't help but wonder something. If she was just a human being, then just how was she so skilled with that blade before?

"Shigure…Kosaka." The weapons master slowly said in response to Archer's look. The Servant had an unsure look on his face. Things were beginning to fall into place. This was the same woman who had almost ended his life. His mind went back to Akisame's question. If these people saved him, he might as well find the courtesy to introduce himself to him.

"Archer…just call me that. I guess I should thank you all for saving my skin." The Servant said with a hint of poison at the end of his words. He really didn't like having to actually thank anyone for saving his life, now that he thought about it.

Ma Kensei perked up all of a sudden, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"We are not responsible for saving you. She is! Although I did provide a little help..." the Chinese master responded, pointing directly at Shigure, a couple of acupuncture needles visible between his fingers. The weapons master's face remained indifferent.

Archer tried his best to give a grateful smile. His ego was trying its best to hold him back however.

"...Thank you. I mistook you for...someone else."

Sakaki laughed at the comment, and Shigure's expression remained the same. Archer almost felt like an idiot right now. The girl was no Servant, and these people probably didn't believe in magic at all.

"Hmph! Everyone always has an excuse for starting a fight these days..." the karate master stated, his arms crossed as he leaned against a tree.

"You are…skilled. Too slow with two swords though." Shigure said quietly, while Akisame rubbed his chin in curiosity. Meanwhile, Archer bit his lip, trying his best not to feel insulted at what Shigure had just told him. To the weapons master in question, her comment was just simply pointing out the obvious. Once again, Sakaki laughed, though under his breath.

"I must say that this is all very intriguing. Where exactly are you from, Archer?" Akisame asked, while the Servant in question was busy trying to stand up. His shoulder still hurt like hell, but he managed to get himself upright again, so that he could face these five masters without feeling as if he was being looked down upon.

"Not from wherever here is." Archer replied his voice not as weak as before. He was breathing slowly, and it was clear that his shoulder was still in the process healing up. These people had no idea of the fact that he wasn't human. Archer planned on keeping it that way.

"I wonder…did you happen hear some sort of ringing noise just before you ended up in this forest?" Akisame asked, hoping he would get a response from Archer that could clarify earlier suspicions. It would helping greatly in deciphering this crisis.

Archer's eyes widened in surprise at Akisame's question. He felt a little awkward at the utter coincidence of it.

"If you're talking about a terrible ringing noise, then yes."

Something about this situation was beginning to become unfamiliar to Archer. He should have been healing faster than this. His mana stores didn't seem to be reacting to his mental commands as quickly as he had thought. He began to wonder just what kind of place was this, before he heard Akisame speak again.

"Terrible? It just sounded like a telephone ringing to me. Still…your situation is clearly similar to ours. You've been taken somewhere else; to this world, like we have."

Archer's curiousity perked up again. Had he heard Akisame right?

"Wait…what are you talking about? What did you mean about some other world?"

"Apachai knows the answer! Akisame said that the stars are wrong here, and that we're on some other Earth!" the Muay Thai master piped in with child-like energy in his voice. Archer could feel himself beginning to worry on the inside. By this time, he had given up on his supposed Magus. In fact, if these people were saying the truth, he might not even have a Master at all.

"No Master…" Archer whispered to himself quietly. He could have only imagined a time like this. A time where he was given the gift of free will. It was almost too good to be true.

"You know, I still don't get why we're just standing around here and talking about this! If we're somewhere else, and we don't know how the hell to get back, then we should be doing something to keep ourselves busy until we figure things out! Nothing passes the time like hard training! I believe something along the lines of building a temporary dojo is in order!" Sakaki suggested, and the notion seemed to brighten Akisame and Apachai up the most. Ma Kensei didn't necessarily like the idea from the look on his face, and Shigure didn't seem to care.

"You're right! That is certainly a good way to pass the time until we can find a nearby settlement of some sort. We should get started immediately!" Akisame commanded with a powerful and imposing glint in both of his eyes. Archer raised a questioning eyebrow, unable to understand why they were talking about building an entire dojo like it was a game of chess or something.

"It's unfortunate you won't be able to assist us because of your injury." Akisame said to Archer, who honestly was glad that he wouldn't have to be a part of the madness these people were proposing. Just how did they plan on building an entire dojo as a way to pass the time?

Though he was feeling slightly relieved, an unexpected hand proceeded to rest on Archer's shoulder, nearly scaring him half to death. He turned, hiding his fear, only to see Shigure now right behind him, her face emotionless and she spoke in a monotone voice. Tochūmaru was on her left shoulder, crossing his arms and staring Archer down with tiny eyes.

"I'll watch him. He still needs to rest."

Ma Kensei had moved right beside Shigure in an instant. He had a fake smile on his face, as he tried his best to get out of manual labor.

"I think I should stay with Shigure-don here. She might need some assistance in helping out our new friend here…"

A powerful hand picked up Kensei by the back of his robe. The smiling face of Apachai looked down on him.

"There's no getting out of work, Kensei! Apachai thinks it will be fun!"

Despite Apachai's good mood, Ma Kensei didn't look happy at all, and Sakaki was just grinning and cracking his knuckles as he and Akisame lead the way towards fresh, tall trees ahead.

Looking back behind him, Archer couldn't help but feel intimidated by Shigure's stare. It was almost as if she was some sort of taskmaster watching over him. The fact that she was deadly in combat didn't help much either. Leaning back against the tree, Archer watched as the other four masters disappeared into the forest.

"Don't worry. I'll…watch you."

Archer listened to Shigure's slow statement, and as he heard what sounded like wood violently splintering apart nearby, he wondered just what kind of botched spell had thrown him into this strange place, with these strange people.

___

**TIME: 2:40 PM**

**LOCATION: 12 MILES FROM RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

_I need a damn vacation. Isn't there ever an end to the suffering, Haruhi?_

Kyon felt terrible right now. Everything, from his joints to his neck to his back, ached in terrible pain.

Being forced to march along this dirt road for about an hour so far hadn't helped his pain much either. With his rifle slung over his shoulder, and his uniform feeling sticky from sweat due to this sunny Gallian day, Kyon wished for a qiuck death more than anything else.

This morning had been bad enough. Basic training had been pure hell, from the obstacle course to the shooting range, Kyon had been exhausted of most of his available energy stores for the day. Memories of the dreaded obstacle course were still swimming around Kyon's mind even now...

___

**TIME: 11:45 AM**

**LOCATION: RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

"Ha! They think this will stop the Brigade Chief! Onward, Kyon!" Haruhi had exlcaimed loudly and triumphantly, as she leaped over the five-foot tall wooden fence ahead. Kyon was some feet away, breathing heavily as he watched Haruhi do all of this like it was child's play.

_This...is...madness..._

He tried his best to walk faster, but by this time, Kyon's legs already felt like they were going to fall apart. The long stretch of tires that they had run through just before had tired him out much faster than he had expected, and having to crawl a whole two hundred feet had killed his arms as well.

As Kyon tried to keep himself in a light jog, he could hear someone behind him approaching. Powerful feet padded against the dirt ground, and by the time Kyon had glanced behind him, the person is question was already up in his face.

"You're in my way!" Seiji Sawamura said as he sprinted forward, nearly knocking Kyon aside as he ran past. In Seiji's left sleeve, he caught a glimpse of that tiny girl, Midori. She was waving a flag with his face on it, and she sounded exhilarated.

"Go, go, go Seiji-kun!"

Seiji's mind was mainly focused on finishing this obstacle course as quickly as possible and not showing a hint of exhaustion. He refused to be looked down on upon by anyone, despite this being a new world where he could still be feared by those around him.

_There is nothing for me to say. He can be in as much of rush as he wants to for all I care..._

Kyon sighed to himself, before jogging towards the wall ahead. It was tall and imposing, but even from this distance, Kyon could see two girls climbing up it fast. They were none other than Haruhi and Alicia, who looked like they were almost trying to push each other off as they sturggled to reach the top.

"Give up now! No one beats the Brigade Chief!" Haruhi stated as she grabbed onto the next wall grip, a victorious smile already forming on her face.

"No way! I'm going to show you your place if it's the last thing I do, Haruhi!" Alicia replied with equal vigor, her body at the same height as Haruhi's. Both girls were neck and neck, and even their superiors watching, Welkin included, were in awe at their pure will to do all this.

"_I said it's Brigade Chief to you!_"

"Whatever!"

"You're going to regret those words!"

"You're just all talk!"

Watching this unfold, Kyon sighed deeply again. Still confused as to how they had arrived at Gallia in the first place, he was beginning to seriously miss Itsuki Koizumi, Yuki Nagato and Mikuru Asahina. Kyon would give anything to hear their voices again.

_This isn't supposed to be happening to me..._

_____

**TIME: 2:41 PM**

**LOCATION: 12 MILES FROM RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

Coming back to reality, Kyon kept his gaze up ahead, and tried to just focus on the situation at hand.

The mission was simple. Welkin had mentioned that some strange machine had been sighted somewhere in this vicinity, and it had single-handedly defeated an entire Imperial tank battalion on its own. Now, it was both Squad 1 and Squad 7's job to investigate just what this thing was.

It sounded simple, but Kyon didn't honestly think it would be.

"Look alive, Kyon! We've got a mission to complete!" Haruhi said to her subordinate, patting him on the back hard. She had the same exact victorious expression that Kyon had seen back during basic training. Kyon certainly wasn't nearly excited as her.

_Sure...it sounds like a blast, Haruhi._

"Stupid girl..." Alicia mumbled to herself, holding her rifle out of caution as the rest of Squad 7 and Squad 1 continued along with this march. If they didn't find anything in the next couple hours, Welkin would order for a withdrawal, and they'd be back in the academy, having wasted their time here.

However, Alicia still didn't like Haruhi. She didn't like her one bit. Her eyes were so focused on the girl that she didn't notice Welkin walk up right beside her.

"It's nice that we have such willing troops, don't you think, Alicia?" Welkin said with happiness in his voice. Alicia just gave him an annoyed look. Her own bad mood was something that she didn't like to have contrasted by something like Welkin's good mood.

"I guess so..." Alicia said, turning her gaze away from Welkin. Was it his job to annoy her like this?

"Isn't this cool, Seiji-kun? Look at all these new people! We've got a lot of new friends to make now!" Midori chimed to the boy she was attatched to, Seiji Sawamura. All this time, Midori had been trying her best to remain in a cheerful mood, despite their situation. She had been trying her best to cope with the idea that they were no longer anywhere near Seiji's home, and that they were in some completely new place, with a whole meangrie of new people.

Seiji, on the other hand, didn't like the idea having been forced into the Gallian Militia. He didn't really like these people so much in the first place, especially that idiot squad commander Welkin Gunther. If Seiji ever got the chance, he almost felt like he needed to repay Welkin for all the problems he had caused him by conscripting him like this.

"This all temporary, Midori. Don't get used to it too much..." Seiji said. He was already uncomfortable enough. Everyone knew about the girl on his right hand now. He really didn't like being looked at like some sort of science experiment all the time.

But as Seiji glanced to his side, spotting those three girls from before, he thought about the idea that perhaps not everyone was looking at him in that way. A tiny smile formed on his face as he realized this, much to Midori's dismay. The fact he was looking at them just brightened Edy up the most.

"See? He's checking you out again!" Edy Nelson said just a little too loudly, much to Susie's embarassment. As usual, Marina didn't find the need to say anything, content on listening rathering than adding her input.

"I think he's looking at you, Edy-san..." Susie replied, a very obvious blush on her face. Edy smiled devilishly, and spoke quietly in Susie's ear. Edy was no doubt enjoying this very much.

"Think of it this way, Susie. He probably likes your hair, your face, your body, or all three!"

At the sound of Edy's comment, Susie's face went bright red, a sight which made Seiji very content. Marina just listened silently, though she was interested at this entire display.

Seiji was just greatly enjoying this kind of attention more than anything else. Midori, however, couldn't help but feel a strange sensation in her little heart. She couldn't help but feel a spark of jealousy from all the attention Seiji was receiving from these other girls. She sighed quietly, hoping he'd just forget about it all soon.

Meanwhile, Welkin was trying his best to be in good spirits. If they pulled off this mission succesfully, and were able to subdue the mysterious machine that could be a danger to Randgriz itself, then Welkin knew for a fact that his squad would finally fully trust him. He wasn't completely oblivious, and he knew very well that some of his squad members, specifically Rosie and Largo, weren't really fans of his yet.

Welkin kept the smile on his face, and glanced at Alicia for a moment. He couldn't help but admire something about this girl. Welkin hadn't thought about it, but he had to admit that Alicia was actually quite attractive, at least in his opinion. Noticing Welkin staring like this for a couple seconds, Alicia felt very awkward all of a sudden.

"What is it?"

Welkin could feel his face go hot, and he shook his head back and forth, expelling his previous thoughts. He gave Alicia a nervous smile, his hand on the back of his head out of pure embarassment.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

___

Yoko narrowed her eyes, focusing the scope on her rifle as she put the target in her sights.

She couldn't have hesitation at a time like this. She wasn't stupid. Yoko knew that those soldiers could be coming for them. Kamina and Simon had taken care of the enemy tanks before, and Yoko had guessed that these soldiers on the road were just forces sent out to take them down after their previous failure. It was bad enough that they still had no idea where they had ended up. Yoko steadied her rifle.

She was laying down on the top of a partially concealed hill, her scantily-clad body and long metal rifle barely visible under the sparse foliage. She felt like a lion stalking its prey. The rifle scope was focused on a target now. With a push of the trigger, a powerful shell would come bursting right out of the gun barrel, and proceed to explode in blue energy when it made contact with its target.

Not knowing one bit that he was in danger, Welkin was the one Yoko had caught in her scope. Faldio was standing next to him, and the two were talking happily, as if they didn't have a care in the world. The Edelweiss tank, Isara inside, was driving along slowly behind them, and Yoko knew that she would no doubt have to take that out in her third and second shot. This force was small, made up of mostly infantry and only one tank, but she wasn't taking any chances. She wouldn't even give them the chance to fire this time.

Yoko put a finger over the trigger. She focused her eyes again on the target. For a brief moment, she thought about the idea of actually killing someone like this. She hadn't questioned it, but judging from the difference in uniforms, this force might not even be affilated with the one from before. She could be provoking them with this first shot. She could be killing someone out of cold blood.

But what if that wasn't the case? She didn't have the heart to take that chance right now, especially after that previous attack. In all honesty, Yoko was a little scared. Scared about their entire situation, and about the idea of losing Kamina and Simon.

Yoko shook her head, and just focused on Welkin through her sights again. She breathed deeply and readied her trigger finger again.

"No hesitation. No hesitation..."

___

**For those wondering, yes, quite a few questions need to still be answered. This story is going to be long, so all will come in due time. Also, I hope you didn't hate the one-sidedness of the battle between Shigure and Archer. For those familiar with History's Strongest Disiciple Kenichi**, **it's natural for Shigure to win pretty much most sword-fights. Still, I hope you enjoyed it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**MAN! It's been like forever since I updated this gem of a story. Sorry about all that. Between shuffling back to college and holiday break, I didn't have as much writing time as I thought I would. Nevertheless, I have not given up on Cross Chronicles! I present you with the newest chapter, with some very exciting developments! This took awhile to write, and a lot of thinking on my part as well. Hope you enjoy! :)**

--

**TIME: 2:43 PM**

**LOCATION: 12 MILES FROM RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

**__  
**

"No hesitation. No hesitation…"

This was it. With her finger on the trigger, Yoko could end Welkin's life at this moment. All she had to do was fire. He was in her sights. All it took was for her to actually suck away that little part of her soul and fire.

But for some reason, she couldn't.

Yoko was a little beside herself. Something was holding her back. Something was telling her that she couldn't just go ahead and lay waste to the young man in her sights. What exactly was it? Decency? Mercy? Maybe even guilt?

She knew it couldn't be guilt. What crime was she committing exactly? These men had attacked her, Kamina and Simon with an entire tank battalion before, and if it had not been for the Gurren-Lagann, they might not have made it through without a scratch like they had.

"Damn it…" the crimson-haired girl cursed to herself, pushing all those thoughts to the back of her mind and refocusing on the situation at hand. She knew there was no time for any kind of hesitation or mercy. They were in some strange new world very unlike their own. In this new and confusing situation, Yoko had no time to think about whether what she was about to do was right or wrong.

Yoko was ready once again. With her rifle sighted directly at Welkin's head, she knew in her heart that at least the shot would make his death swift and painless.

__

"…So you have no idea where those two came from?" Faldio asked Welkin, as the two commanders walked ahead of the rest of their troops. It seemed like they'd been walking for an hour by now, and found pretty much nothing of importance.

"I wish I could say I did. The whole thing is really odd, but kind of intriguing at the same time. They say they're from some other world. The problem with their story is that I can't imagine how they would have ended up in Gallia if they were." Welkin responded. Faldio's single question seemed to spark even more questions in Welkin's mind. Where exactly where Haruhi and Kyon from? How did they get here? And more importantly; just why were they here? From what Welkin could tell, it seemed like the two of them were like shipwrecked sailors.

"There's always the possibility that they're from another continent. It's not like we completely know what's beyond the entirety of Europa." Faldio suggested.

"That's possible...but I almost can't believe that. There's something about these two...something that tells me they really are from somewhere else, beyond even the rest of our world." Welkin replied, experiencing a moment of clarity when he heard himself say "our world". He could only imagine just how many other worlds like theirs were out there, and just how different each of them might be.

Welkin glanced behind him, spotting Haruhi and Kyon not too far away. It looked as if Haruhi was egging Kyon to move faster along the road, and even from this distance Welkin could still easily see the discontent written all over Kyon's face. Those two were really a bit odd, but Welkin had to admit that they seemed to be doing pretty well in their situation. Of course, there was still the mission ahead of them at hand as well. He didn't exactly know how they would handle in their first mission, but he knew he had to put his faith in them.

A loud squeal almost immediately caught Welkin's attention, causing him to break his train of thought and look down towards the source. His eyes widened, and he stopped so as not to trample the animal now sitting before him. He couldn't help but gasp in wonder at this amazing creature.

"Wow! I thought I'd never run across one of these!" he said out loud excitedly, catching the attention of everyone around him as he knelt down while eagerly observing the creature in front of him. Welkin's attention was now completely on the small porcavian pig with wings on its back. The pig seemed just as interested in Welkin as Welkin was on it, and made no effort to struggle as he picked it up to fully observe it.

"A pig? You made us stop for some pig?" Rosie said from behind Welkin, her voice obviously full of annoyance. From the look on his face, there was little doubt Largo was feeling just as enthusiastic about this new distraction as Rosie was. Behind them, the rest of Squad 7 looked pretty confused, save for Marina, who was actually watching the pig from afar with what looked like genuine interest in her eyes.

"Some pig? This is a rare species! Look at the wings on its back!" Welkin described in joy. Alicia wasn't nearly as annoyed as Rosie or Largo, but she didn't seem to get why something like this was a good excuse for them to stop their movement.

Meanwhile, Seiji Sawamura hit himself in the forehead at the sight of Welkin and the pig, while Midori tried her best to stay as hidden as possible in his sleeve so as not to attract anymore unwanted attention. It was bad enough that girls around here already had their attention on her Seiji-kun, so Midori didn't really want to make themselves get noticed even more. Kyon was kind of staring ahead, stupefied that their very commander was exposing himself like this. He was quickly brought back to the real world by Haruhi, who hit him hard on the back of the head.

"Hey! Stop staring at the commander! That's rude!"

Kyon glanced at Haruhi with an annoyed look, rubbing the back of his head and hoping the mental pain of being with Haruhi in this situation would go away soon.

"It's a bad idea to stop in the middle of the road like this, Welkin! We're sitting ducks out here!" Alicia finally stated, hoping that her words would knock Welkin out of this trance over the winged pig. He looked down at this tiny animal, and smiled. The sound of Alicia's voice had knocked just a bit of sense into him.

"You're right. I just never thought I'd encounter an animal as rare as this one. We should probably continue on." Welkin replied apologetically, but his response only made Rosie and Largo give him disapproving glares from afar. As Welkin held the pig in his arms, someone stepped forward, her eyes very focused on the winged animal.

"Can I...take him?" Marina Wulfstan stated blankly as she kept her eyes focused on the porcavian pig. Seiji Sawamura couldn't help but back away when he saw the look on her face. He thought she was just going to eat the pig.

"Why would you want some wild pig?" Rosie said nastily, crossing her arms now that she was fully annoyed with their dawdling. Welkin seemed to easily hand over the animal to Marina, who slowly smiled when she found herself holding it in her arms. She spoke quietly as she could feel the pig nuzzle against her cheek in a loving manner.

"It's...cute. I think I'll keep him."

The pig, now safely nestled in Marina's arms, squealed in joy as if responding her. Kyon just seemed to hit himself in the forehead at the whole sight, while Seiji tried to hide the blush on his face, as the cuteness of the situation had already gotten to him.

__

An intense feeling of total annoyance quickly washed over Yoko at the sight of some girl holding that pig in her arms as she walked with the rest of the squad. Yoko mentally cursed herself even more for having not fired earlier. Due to their proximity from one another, she couldn't get a shot on any of them at all without possibly injuring Simon's little friend. Yoko could already feel herself getting a headache from the bad luck she was experiencing right now.

Slowly, she got into a crouching position, making sure that she wouldn't be able to be spotted from this distance. She wondered if taking a shot at that huge blue tank would be a better course of action, since shooting at any of the soldiers was out of the question. She thought about it, gauging the damage she could cause before they might possibly spot her. Though she was some distance away, she could still easily be outnumbered in no time.

However, as Yoko began to think about what she was doing again, she remembered her own words to Kamina not long before…

"**We're not attacking everyone we see, you idiot!**"

She knew there was something beyond guilt that had stopped her from firing before. Yoko hit herself in the forehead out of stupidity. What was she thinking? She was doing exactly what she had told Kamina they would avoid doing. All because she had done some scouting ahead, found some soldiers, and decided that they were automatically hostile.

"Why did this have to happen now…" she said quietly to herself, once again cursing her luck by the fact that the girl just continued to hold onto that pig as if it was a treasure. Still, she knew her attack was not meant to be in the first place, a fact which made Yoko feel just a little better.

And so, Yoko just sighed as she carefully stood up, slinging her rifle on her back at the same time. For the time being, she decided that firing on these people was probably just a bad idea only Kamina would come up with.

For now, she'd just head towards this group in as non-threatening of a manner as possible. Maybe diplomacy would actually work with these people. If anything, Yoko just hoped they weren't as hostile as the soldier and tanks from before, or she'd be in serious trouble…

__

Simon felt very worried all of a sudden. Having searched everywhere, he decided to look under the nearest rock, but upon lifting the object, he found not a trace of what he was looking for. His posture became more relaxed, and he let out a deep sigh.

"…just where did he go?" Simon said quietly to himself, as he was anxious to know where his new pig friend had run off to. He'd been right by Simon's side just a minute or two ago, and now he was gone. The boy scratched his head in wonder, before his thought process was interrupted by the powerful hand of Kamina now on his shoulder.

"Something wrong, bro?" Kamina said with his eyes glinting underneath his glasses.

"I can't find my friend, Aniki…" Simon replied with a defeated voice. Kamina's smile slowly disappeared at the sight of his sad soul-brother. He put both hands on Simon's shoulders, and proceeded to look at him straight in the face as he spoke valiantly.

"Then we'll find him together, Simon! As leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade, I refuse to leave anyone, man or beast, behind!"

Simon seemed to quickly brighten up at Kamina's exclamation, but thoughts of Yoko just made him wonder where their friend had wandered off to. It had been a couple minutes since she'd left them, and Simon had recalled Yoko saying that she'd be back in a second.

"We should probably look for Yoko-san too…she said she'd be back by now…" Simon added quietly.

"Of course! We'll find them in no time, bro. We've got the Gurren and Lagann on our side." Kamina responded with even more vigor and confidence in his voice. Simon couldn't help but have his spirits lifted by Kamina's words. In the back of his mind, the boy wondered how he would make it through anything without his Aniki's leadership.

"Right." Simon said, the Core Drill hanging around his neck already glowing green with Spiral Power.

__

"I don't freaking get it! How long have we been walking on this same road? Where the hell is what we're supposed to be looking for?!?" Seiji Sawamura complained loudly, not understanding what the point of all this was. His obnoxious voice caught Haruhi's attention almost immediately, and Kyon seemed to think that this was some sort of challenge to her.

_She can be the only one allowed to complain, of course…_

"You shouldn't even be here. You tried to kill the commander, and now you're fighting alongside us? You're just a traitor in disguise!" Haruhi exclaimed which only seemed to madden Seiji. He glared back at Haruhi, thoroughly pissed. Around the two, bad energy was already beginning to form, and people like Susie made sure to keep their distance.

"What? I got forced into this! And you're the stupid girl who almost messed up my nose!"

"_You will reference me as Brigade Chief!_ How many times do I have to say it!?!"

Kyon couldn't just stand by and watch this unfold into carnage. He wasn't stupid, and had noticed by now that Haruhi had been increasingly more hostile the longer they'd been here. He didn't necessarily know the reason, but he couldn't just let it lead to a bad situation. He put a hand on Haruhi's shoulder, trying to calm her down.

"I think things are getting out of hand here. Maybe we're all just a little too work-"

"Shut up, you! Mad Dog Sawamura doesn't need some weakling mediator!" Seiji barked, even as he heard Midori whispering to him from his sleeve. Haruhi gritted her teeth.

"Maybe you should heed my subordinate's words. They could save you from a lot of pain."

Seiji Sawamura grinned devilishly, not actually taking Haruhi's threat seriously. His left hand was already forming into a fist, and Midori was getting more worried by the second.

"I don't hit girls, but you just might be the exception. I'm getting sick of this high and mighty act of yours!"

"…Seiji-kun…please...we don't need to fight with our new friends…" she said quietly, but Seiji didn't seem to listen very well.

"These people aren't my friends! We're just damn prisoners he-"

The sound of a loud gunshot seemed to stop Seiji instantly, and it managed to catch the attentions of everyone else as well. Seiji looked behind him, only to see Faldio, with a smoking gun in his hand, pointed up into the sky. He did not look very happy right now.

"Do you remember who we're fighting again? I certainly hope you all do. Maybe we can actually get to the Imperials before we rip ourselves apart from the inside."

Facial expressions seemed to sink in an instant after Faldio finished his statement. Even Seiji could feel himself slowly unwinding now, though he was still a bit pissed. Haruhi also stood down, a fact which gave Kyon instant relief. He had been extremely afraid that this situation would have taken a turn for the worse.

In his own mind, Welkin felt suddenly inferior in this situation, having allowed Faldio to take command of his troops for this brief moment. Even the commander of Squad 7 wasn't oblivious enough to not realize that the glares coming from Rosie and Largo were stronger now. He hoped to himself that he wouldn't let this happen the next time.

"Hey! Look over there!" Edy exclaimed as she pointed at something in the distance. Heads turned in unison, and from where he was standing in the front, Welkin could easily see the scantily-clad figure of Yoko slowly making her way towards them. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, suddenly confused at the appearance of this stranger.

"That girl doesn't have much on…" Susie said shyly, realizing that the more she looked at Yoko, the more she herself felt inadequate. Seiji Sawamura couldn't pull his eyes away, causing Midori to put on an angry face once she realized Seiji's attention was definitely elsewhere. The green-haired girl in his sleeve roughly tugged at his collar, hoping to tear him back to reality by doing so.

Yoko couldn't help but fix her skull hairpin the closer she got to these people. She felt weird all of a sudden, and she figured it probably attributed to the fact that these humans were a lot different than any of the ones she knew in Ritona Village. All of them were dressed in the same style of military uniform, and many of them looked about her age. There was a tall man all the way in the front of them, and Yoko could see that he had an unsure look on his face. He was kind of eying her, but not really in a suspicious way, but more of a curious one.

In the back of her mind, Yoko hoped her appearance wasn't too bad or anything. She probably had dirt and sand all over her for all she knew.

"It's rude to stare, Welkin." Alicia said with a hint of jealousy in her voice. She had gotten a little fed up with the fact that many of the men in this squad suddenly had their immediate attention on the stranger in front of them, mostly due to the fact that she was only wearing a bikini top and tight-fitting shorts. If anything, Alicia didn't like seeing Welkin distracted like the others, but there was another, more subtle reason for why she wanted to break his attention away. She wasn't just a little jealous of this girl's above-average looks and her lack of clothing. She was very, very jealous. Alicia held her rifle tightly as her jealousy branched off into suspicion.

"Before you do anything, I'm not here to fight." Yoko stated loudly, and she took the time to put her rifle down on the ground before her. Marina marveled at just how long Yoko's rifle was, and even though her attention was still mainly on her new pig friend, she couldn't help but become curious over this newcomer's weapon as well.

"I take it you're not affiliated with any Imperial forces?" Welkin asked, his suspicion beginning to wear off. Alicia wasn't really trusting Yoko much yet however, and jealously could be seen on the faces of many of Squad 7's females. Yoko felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden, judging from the fact she could see a lot of male eyes staring at her as well. She just tried to ignore all the attention and answered Welkin's question.

"To be honest, I don't what any of these Imperials are. My friends and I were attacked by a group of lunatics who had allegiance to some empire though. We're kind of lost, actually."

"Lost, you say? What do you mean?" Welkin said, now even more curious than before. He immediately figured that the fact that this girl had been attacked by Imperial forces meant she definitely wasn't on their side. That was clear, but something else was bugging him now. It was like a strange feeling of deja vu.

"I'm not buying it! She's lying!" Alicia interjected, before she proceeded to point her rifle at Yoko. The amount of jealously building up in her mind was beginning to cloud her judgment. Though Kyon wasn't necessarily staring at Yoko like many of his squad mates were, Haruhi had been watching him the whole time, just to make sure. He was more worried about what he overheard from the conversation more than anything else.

"Wait! I said I wasn't here to fight. My friends and I don't even know where we are." Yoko responded quickly, raising her hands to show that she wasn't a threat. Alicia kept her aim however, and Kyon could see that many of Squad 7's female members, including Haruhi next to him, were taking Alicia's example and cautiously holding onto their rifles.

A moment of silence passed before Welkin put his hand up, signifying as a commander for his squad members to stand down.

To him, this newcomer didn't seem to be hostile towards them, nor did she have anything against them. She was in an eerily similar situation as Haruhi Suzumiya and Kyon; just another person who was "lost" in Gallia. Welkin realized then just where that feeling of deja vu was coming from. Beside Welkin, Alicia reluctantly stood down. She wondered if lust was clouding her commander's judgment, but she just figured he was way too oblivious for that.

"What's your name, and just where do you think you might be?" Faldio asked, as he too was beginning to put together puzzle pieces upon hearing this stranger's words.

"My name is Yoko, and I'm here with two friends of mine. We honestly have no idea where this place is. All I know is that we fell asleep one night in a wasteland, and woke up in this countryside."

Alicia still didn't buy Yoko's story one bit, but Welkin was already more than convinced. He suddenly could feel himself having an urge to ask more questions, and he was almost beginning to forget that they had an actual mission that they were supposed to be completing.

"You woke up in Gallia? But that doesn't make any sense. Something's wrong here." Welkin pointed out, his mind puzzled by the entire situation. Alicia's impatience had reached her limit by now, and she already had Yoko in her sights again.

"It's her story that's wrong! She's some sort of spy! We should take care of her now before she backstabs us!" Alicia exclaimed, while Yoko just stared at her like she was on crazy pills. She contemplated how long it would take to reach her rifle on the ground, but she knew she was outnumbered to a point where she would be filled with bullets in seconds. She began to realize now that this diplomatic idea of hers might have been a really bad idea.

"Look. I said it to you before. I'm just lost here with my friends. We aren't spies! We just want to figure what's going on here!" Yoko nearly shouted back to Alicia, hoping that she could possibly intimidate the girl just a little bit. Alicia stood her ground however, and she contemplated firing off a shot.

She contemplated it, but something else caught her attention. In fact, it caught the attention of just about everyone in a hundred foot radius. It was a loud rumbling noise in the distance, which was shortly followed by objects which could be seen approaching along the horizon.

Alicia was the first to spot what looked like two shapes charging fast towards them all. One of them was titanic, and the other looked the quarter the size of a standard tank. The two shapes were actually running towards them, and as they got closer, it became apparent that they were running on legs. Both were predominantly red, and they looked more like walking faces than anything else. His focus now somewhere else entirely, Welkin quickly became astounded at the sight of these two machines coming towards him, but Faldio's sense kicked in quickly. He put a rough hand around Welkin's shoulder, and whispered something into his ear.

"I think we might have found what we were looking for." he said. Welkin blinked, then deciphered what his companion had just told him before answering.

"But there are two of them. It's only supposed to be one machine..."

"Just what the hell are those?!?" Largo yelled out as the ground rumbled from the Gurren and Lagann's approach. As if responding him, the amplified voice of Kamina boomed from the mouth of the Gurren.

"We're the might of the Dai-Gurren Brigade; the soul-brother Ganmen Gurren and Lagann! Step away from our Yoko or be prepared to face our power!"

The powerful rumbling of the Gurren's feet easily startled the majority of Squad 7, and out of everyone, Largo was the first to act, his lance already in front of him. He set his aim quickly, before pressing hard on the launcher's trigger, sending a speeding rocket towards the charging Gurren. Kamina could see the rocket approaching, but he was unfazed by it, and he continued to plow forward through the dirt with his Gurren. The enemy troops were only a some feet away from them now, and Yoko was so close within reach...

Largo's single lance rocket managed to hit home, exploding above the Gurren's left knee joint. The machine's armor protected against most of the impact, but part of the force managed to cause some damage to the machine's weaker armor in the joint. Before Kamina knew it, the Gurren was forced to momentarily go down on one knee, as screens flashed in front of him, depicting red warning images of a damaged component.

"That's right!" Largo said defiantly, satisfied with his attack. Having watched this entire display, Alicia had her sights towards Yoko again, but when she looked, the girl was off running, her rifle in her hands as she sped ahead of them. Welkin's attention had been on the Gurren and Lagann at the time, so even he was surprised when he realized Yoko was gone.

Running as fast as she could, rifle armed and ready, Yoko could not help but curse Kamina multiple times under her breath. It was this kind of "shoot first and ask questions later" attitude of his that she really did not fancy.

"Aniki!" Simon exclaimed through the Lagann. He was beside the Gurren in no time, which Kamina was struggling to get up due to the knee joint being damaged. The leader of the Dai-Gurren Brigade cursed under his breath, slamming against the inside of his cockpit in anger. Meanwhile, Welkin had already figured out by now that this entire situation was escalating quickly. He thought about his options, and proceeded to make a decision about what they would be doing next.

"It seems like we've found what we're on this mission for. Those machines." he addressed to his squad and pointing towards the Gurren and Lagann. By this point, Squad 7 seemed more than ready. Seiji was almost itching for a fight, and in the same token, so was Haruhi. Kyon wondered just why diplomacy had so easily failed before.

"What are we supposed to do to them?" Edy Nelson asked, and Welkin put on a serious face. They didn't have any other choice now.

"Neutralize them."

A powerful blue burst exploded some feet away from Welkin, causing the commander to be knocked backwards, part of his uniform singed from the heat. He rolled into the sand for a moment, but Alicia was already by his side, worry all over her face after witnessing the whole thing. Squad 7 was in disarray for a moment, but Faldio was already motioning for them to fire, and as Welkin got himself up, slightly dazed and shaken, a symphony of rifle fire could be heard, followed by a destructive tank shell from the Edelweiss. Welkin could feel Alicia helping him up, and he wondered just how good his luck had been those moments ago. Part of his uniform was singed, but he managed to get up without much of a scratch, save for being knocked back into the dirt.

Bullets bounced loudly against the front of the Gurren, and the Edelweiss's tank shell hit the Lagann's top shell, but it only caused intense vibrations on the inside. Kamina watched Simon shake off the shot after a few seconds, and he yelled down to his soul-brother, knowing full well that a battle lie ahead.

"Simon! We're going to need to become one if we want to win this!" he exclaimed, and the Lagann's mouth responded in his soul-brother's voice, which sounded surprisingly unafraid.

"I got it, Aniki! Let's do it!"

Kamina could feel himself smiling already, and his eyes glinted with courage inside the cockpit of the Gurren. With one hand, the Gurren grabbed the Lagann even as more bullets bounced against its tough armor. Still on one knee, the Gurren threw the smaller robot high into the air above it, waiting for a moment as the Lagann descended. A drill could be visible on the bottom of the Lagann as it came down, and in just another second, it pierced the top of the Gurren, causing a burst of green light to expand out around the Gurren and Lagann. The light was powerful enough to blind Squad 7 and Squad 1 for a moment, stopping them all from firing. Welkin's shielded his eyes, realizing quickly that their bullets had been doing nearly nothing to these machines.

The light began to dim, making the robots visible again. Armor was forming on parts of the Gurren, and a golden half-circle seemed to just materialize on the Lagann's forehead. The robot let out one more burst of green light, before it stood up fully, having repaired its knee injury with the transformation. The towering form of the Gurren-Lagann stood tall on Gallian soil, and its sight awed just about everyone. Welkin couldn't help but just wonder what kind of amazing machine this was.

"You messed with the wrong men! This is our drill, and with it, we'll break right through everything you put in our way!" Kamina shouted defiantly, and in seconds, the Gurren-Lagann was already in mid-run. Yoko, having gotten to a safe distance, wondered to herself why things had gotten out of hand so quickly. It was obvious that some of those people didn't fancy her, but she was sure that she could have handled it if Kamina and Simon didn't come waltzing in like they did. Nevertheless, she aimed her rifle for a clump of troops ahead. It didn't seem like she had any choice but to fight now.

As Yoko readied to fire, she felt something slice into her leg like a burning hot sword. She could see a spray of dark crimson, and before she knew it, she had lost control of her right leg, and thus toppled to her side. Yoko hit the dirt painfully, her mind spinning as she quickly began to lose blood.

Someone had managed to shoot her in the leg with a powerful firearm, and now all Yoko could do was watch as her rifle lay right out of reach, the pain too intense for her to move. She looked ahead, watching as the Gurren-Lagann ran towards the still firing Squad 7 and Squad 1 with determination in its charge. Yoko just sighed, cursed Kamina's stupidity, and waited.

In the distance, Marina's sniper rifle was tightly gripped in her hands, and she could see through her scope that Yoko was down, but seemingly still alive. Having been thinking about the safety of her new pig friend this entire time, the distraction had cost her accuracy. Aiming again for Yoko's head, Marina made sure that this next shot would end her suffering.

Shots bounced against the Gurren-Lagann, but it was already too late to stop the machine's advance. Another lance rocket exploded against one of it's shoulders, but the shot had hit nowhere near a weak point. As it towered above the firing troops, Welkin's eyes widened at the sight of a massive drill forming above it's right wrist. The Gurren-Lagann looked angry, and even as another shot from the Edelweiss slammed against its chest, it still came down with its drill. For that second, Welkin could feel fear, and it was a fear of losing his squad members. He suddenly felt powerless.

The Gurren-Lagann's drill pierced into the ground like a spear, causing squad members to scatter as it missed them by only some few feet. However, the powerful drill spun rapidly in the ground, emitting green flashes of light as it formed a whirling cyclone of dust and dirt. Seiji Sawamura could feel his vision become clouded, and Haruhi held onto Kyon when she realized just how much her eyes were stinging.

The spinning cyclone seemed to get faster by the second, and it soon become so strong that it knocked multiple members of Squad 7 backwards. Edy and Susie were thrown back into the dirt, and Marina's aim was completely ruined as she too was thrown by the force. Her bullet flew threw the air and hit the ground near Yoko, having missed her head by only a few feet.

"We need to find some sort of weak point!" Welkin yelled out to his squad, having already backed up towards the Edelweiss with Alicia, who was trying her best to actually damage the Gurren-Lagann with her rifle. None of her shots were successful however, and they bounced off its armor like pigeons against a glass window. The Edelweiss continued to fire at the robot with all it could muster, and inside, Isara was making sure that she kept her distance from the machine. Those standing helped anyone on the ground, and members of both Squad 7 and Squad 1 hurried to get themselves back up and fighting. Welkin worried about the possibility of casualties in this fight, but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind and focused on the battle in front of him.

_Nothing's working...nothing's working...nothing's working!_

Kyon could feel worry wrapping around him like an anaconda. He and Haruhi were up and running again, and despite her shots not actually doing anything, Haruhi continued to fire at the Gurren-Lagann like a madwoman. Deciding that he would probably be reprimanded if he didn't, Kyon also took as many shots as he could at the robot, but knew full well that they were doing nothing.

The Gurren-Lagann continued to take bullets as if they were just bothersome insects, but the powerful impact of the Edelweiss's shell managed to make it back up just a bit. In the Gurren-Lagann's head, Simon could already tell that the tank these soldiers had could possibly be a problem to them.

"Aniki! Let's go for that big tank over there!" he said, and below, Kamina was already thinking the same thing. Acting as one, the two soul-brothers made their Gurren-Lagann charge towards the Edelweiss, forcing troops to scatter to avoid being trampled. The tank continued to fire, but its shots only slightly slowed the Gurren-Lagann. Welkin and Alicia could only watch as the robot closed in on the Edelweiss.

"You think you can mess with us? Take this!" Kamina exclaimed, and his and Simon's machine pulled one leg back, charging it chock full of Spiral Energy.

"**CURB-SHATTERING KICK!!!!!**" Kamina roared, and in response, the Gurren-Lagann delivered a swift and powerful kick to the lower chassis of the Edelweiss. The blow was powerful; powerful enough to send the tank rolling some twenty feet to the side like a soccer ball. Metal parts crunched violently as it did so, and inside, Isara held onto the controls as best as she could while the entire tank rocked around her. She held back an angry tear as she could literally feel her father's work being destroyed with her inside of it and powerless to do anything.

"This isn't fair! Why can't we win?!?" Haruhi exclaimed in anger, firing more shots at the Gurren-Lagann. Beside her, Kyon was about to say it was useless, until an unexpected series of explosions caused him to gape in surprise. Haruhi's shots exploded with considerable force, hitting the back of the Gurren Lagann and causing it to lean forward as if it was in pain. Alicia was even more surprised than Welkin, wondering just how Haruhi pulled off what she pulled off. A smile formed on Haruhi Suzumiya's face at the sight of smoke coming from the back of the Gurren-Lagann. She didn't know how she had done it, but she had caused some damage after all.

"What the hell?" Kamina yelled, surprised by the fact that they had taken so much damage in just a few shots. Simon easily felt the vibration as well, and acting in unison, both soul-brothers turned the Gurren-Lagann to face their attacker. Haruhi Suzumiya and Kyon stood ahead of a still recuperating Squad 7, and Haruhi was aiming at the robot again now. Fear began to envelop Kyon, as he quickly realized that the robot's attention was now on the two of them.

"That's right! I shot you! And I'll shoot you again!" Haruhi yelled in defiance towards the mighty Gurren-Lagann, which seemed to instantly scare the hell out of Kyon. Thoughts of him and Haruhi being crushed underfoot by this monstrous robot flooded into his mind, and he wondered quickly just how they were going to live through this one.

"You want to fight, eh? Do you know who we are? We're the Dai-Gurren Brigade! You'd best remember the name!" Kamina yelled back at Haruhi. Above, Simon had begun to get a little worried, as the shots Haruhi had unleashed on them had caused much more damage than he had expected. On top of that, he didn't know where Yoko or his new pig friend had gone, and this only worried him even more.

Because of this, Simon's will to fight had been slowly decreasing this entire time, and with it, so was the Spiral Energy that powered his and Kamina's Gurren-Lagann.

"_**Dai-Gurren Brigade? There's only room for one Brigade in this universe, and that's mine! Prepare to surrender to the one and only SOS Brigade!**_" Haruhi answered with equal vigor, something which actually surprised a normally solid Kamina. Next to Haruhi, Kyon silently made comments in his mind, hoping it would distract him from the severity of the situation.

_What do you mean, you idiot? There's only two of us here! Try using that line when all five of us are actually present!_

As Squad 7 and Squad 1 re-consolidated their numbers, Welkin became immediately concerned at the nature of the Edelweiss. The tank was fully flipped over, and he knew that the damage to it must have been considerable. They would be lucky if the tank made it to another battle, but Isara's condition worried Welkin even more.

"Surrender? Kamina-sama does not surrender!" a now pissed Kamina exclaimed from his cockpit.

His emotions now taking over, Kamina charged forward towards the figures of Haruhi Suzumiya and Kyon. Though it would normally be that Kamina's will to win would have just increased the Gurren-Lagann's Spiral Power, Simon's worry was actually decreasing it, causing the robot's power to remain at a standstill, neither going up or down. Even still, the machine continued to barrel towards Haruhi Suzumiya, drills already popped out of its wrists. Haruhi's fear had washed away by now, and she just brought the approaching machine into her sights and fired. Kyon wasn't so unafraid, closing his eyes and waiting for the Gurren-Lagann to crush them mercilessly.

The sounds of explosions could be heard as Haruhi's bullets blasted against the Gurren-Lagann's armored chest. Almost all of Squad 7, Alicia and Welkin included, were in awe at the sight of the incredibly explosive rounds Haruhi was firing. Seiji Sawamura wondered just what kind of gun she had been given, but in the back of his mind, he was glad to see that they might have a chance to make it through this in one piece.

Having taken the full brunt of these explosions, the Gurren-Lagann actually leaned to its side, many sections of its external armor sparking from damage. The shells, whatever their origin, were actually quite powerful and were causing more damage to the machine than either Kamina or Simon had expected. While Kamina tried his best to remain unfazed, Simon could see a losing battle a mile away. His fear gripped him tightly, and their machine moved forward with less speed as their Spiral Power began to actually drop.

"Damn you...this Gurren-Lagann will not fall today!" Kamina stated righteously, his own willpower barely keeping the machine's Spiral Power from going any lower. The machine barreled forward even more, kicking up sand and dust with its monstrous feet. Haruhi still didn't show a hint of fear in her eyes, and she just let out another volley of bullets. The shots hit home, slamming into the front of the Gurren-Lagann with even more explosive force than before. Kamina could feel his and Simon's precious Ganmen actually losing, as the machine went down on both knees only ten feet away from Haruhi and Kyon. Even still, Kamina refused to give up.

Haruhi could see a drill coming towards her and Kyon, as the Gurren-Lagann reached for them. She was reloading now, but she had already figured out that a couple more shots would finish this. Victory could easily be seen in her amber eyes.

"I....won't....I won't lose to you! Kamina-sama doesn't lose like this!"

Haruhi smiled up to the reaching Gurren-Lagann. She knew this was already over. She raised her rifle again, ignoring Kyon, who was in in disbelief, as she spoke only a few words.

"You're losing to the Brigade Chief. You better get used to it."

"_**ENOUGH!**_"

Someone had shouted as loud as they possibly could before Haruhi could fire off her first shot. The voice interrupted both her and the still-working Gurren-Lagann, drawing attention from both parties. Kyon looked behind him, and both Squad 7 and Squad 1's attention were fully on none other than Welkin Gunther now.

Simon's eyes lit up in fear. Kamina grimaced as he tightly gripped the Gurren-Lagann's controls. He could feel himself giving up, and Kamina insulted himself that he had allowed something like this to happen. He felt like a failure of a leader, and he could do nothing but allow the Gurren-Lagann's wrist drill to come to a stop only some four feet away from Haruhi Suzumiya. She had the machine in her sights, but there was no longer any need for her to fire.

Welkin brushed past her, a person being held up in one of his arms. A small pistol was up against Yoko's head, and in her dazed and dying state, she could do nothing but watch as the might of the Gurren-Lagann slowly dissipated in front of Welkin. Silence enveloped all of Squad 7 and Squad 1, as well as Kamina and Simon inside their respective robot. Only the pig in Marina's arms broke it momentarily with a confused squeal.

"This is over. I don't know what you are, or why you attacked us, but only your surrender will save her life. If this person is important to you, then you'll hopefully agree to my request." Welkin stated to the Gurren-Lagann and its occupants, his face as serious as ever.

Behind him, most of Squad 7 seemed in awe. Alicia could have sworn she didn't spot Welkin during this confusion, and even Seiji Sawamura couldn't help but be just a little impressed. Out of everyone, Largo and Rosie were the most surprised. Rosie couldn't believe that Welkin had actually pulled off some kind of hostage situation right under their noses, and that it was actually working. She felt very idiotic all of a sudden.

"You're a coward, you know that? You're using a member of our Dai-Gurren Brigade as a hostage to win this fight? You're not a man! _You're just a spineless coward_!" Kamina replied angrily from the Gurren-Lagann, but Welkin stood his ground, the pistol still against the side of Yoko's head.

"If we don't end this faster, your friend Yoko might not make it. She's already lost a considerable amount of blood. I want to avoid ending her suffering myself."

Kamina bared his teeth angrily in his cockpit. He felt powerless; unable to help his dying friend beyond surrendering to these people. Of course, Yoko was a little more than just a friend to him, but it made no difference either way. In the head of the Gurren-Lagann, Simon had already realized that this was over. His mind had given in, and with that, the last of the Gurren-Lagann's Spiral Power seemed to just drain away. Slowly, the machine leaned over, out of power and unusable. Kamina merely slammed his fist against the side of his cockpit, his glasses falling off his face and onto his feet.

Below, Welkin wondered just how long Yoko would actually last at this rate. Her bleeding was serious, and the wound would need to be treated soon if she was to survive. Even still, he felt some sort of accomplishment in the back of his mind. For now, their mission was a success.

Haruhi Suzumiya frowned, crossing her arms. She had really wanted to get those last shots off, but Welkin had ended up getting in her way. As she felt her dislike for him grow, Kyon could just feel himself becoming a lot more relieved. Once more, it seemed that they had escaped a terrible fate by inches. In the comfort of this thoughts, he thanked his luck.

_Just what kind of good fortune do the those powers of yours give us, Haruhi..._

____

**TIME: 7:25 PM**

**LOCATION: RANDGRIZ, GALLIA**

The sound of quiet breathing was the only thing that could be heard in the medical ward of the academy, as most of those injured in the mission today had already left the place. The Edelweiss was currently undergoing repairs down in one of the many vehicle sheds, and in all honesty, it was the only thing of Squad 7's to be considerably hurt in the battle today. In a far corner of the ward, a young girl lay unconscious, her leg wrapped up tightly from a serious bullet wound.

Yoko had been out for a couple of hours now, and the person charged with watching her, which was Susie Evans, couldn't help but get worried at her condition. Susie sat in a slightly uncomfortable chair by Yoko's side, constantly monitoring her breathing and making sure that all the bleeding had ceased.

Susie had no idea where Yoko's friends were. The last she had seen of them was an hour ago, when Welkin and Faldio had escorted them elsewhere in the academy. Both of them, a tall, loud-mouthed man and a smaller boy who looked like a junior miner, had been sufficiently restrained after they'd surrendered and exited their red fighting machine.

Memories of the battle scared Susie a little bit, but she knew that her job was to make sure this girl would be alright. So far, she seemed to be stabilizing, and from what medical knowledge Susie knew, her recovery should only take a few days. Susie couldn't help but feel just a little bit bad for this girl.

Out of luck, Seiji Sawamura had happened to be walking down the nearby hallway, and he only got a fleeting glimpse of Susie watching Yoko from the other side of the empty medical bay. In his right sleeve, Midori had been completely silent since the battle. Seiji had tried to ask her what was wrong multiple times, but Midori never answered him, and always retreated further into his sleeve. And so, Seiji got fed up with her behavior, and ceased to care.

But upon spotting Susie, Seiji's mind almost instantly clicked. He could see a chance in front of him, and he did not intend to let it pass by so easily. He didn't care what Midori thought of him for this. Slowly, Seiji proceeded to walk towards Susie, making sure that he didn't move too fast so he seemed as casual as possible.

"Um...is she doing okay?" Seiji asked awkwardly. He figured if he expressed a little concern, he might get on this girl's good side. Of course, that was just an assumption.

Not immediately recognizing the voice, Susie turned and became surprised to see Seiji Sawamura standing behind her. From the viewpoint her seated position, Seiji seemed very tall and imposing. Susie had not expected to see Seiji here of all people, and she couldn't help but feel just a little awkward herself when she answered his question.

"She's stabilizing for now. Hopefully she'll wake up in a few days...hopefully..."

Seiji could tell that their was some doubt in Susie's voice. He wasn't the most understanding guy in the world, and in all honesty, he was no ladies man, but he could figure out things like that at least. Deciding it was okay to move closer, Seiji offered a nervous smile.

"You did your best, right?" he said, causing Susie to look away for a moment. She did do her best, but she didn't exactly know if her best would have been enough. Battles in war were just as scary as she had imagined them, and the battle against that "Gurren-Lagann" would probably be forever imprinted into her thoughts.

"I think so." Susie said, sounding unsure. Seiji's face went hot as he proceeded to do something that could definitely be taken the wrong way. He put his left hand on Susie's shoulder, surprising her greatly despite how reassuring he tried to make it look.

"Um...you shouldn't worry about it. If you need to...talk to someone...I'll...listen...I guess." Seiji stated with a huge amount of nervousness in his voice. Susie could only look back at him, before turning away quickly and blushing bright red. The situation had become very awkward, but she tried her best to get through it without losing herself. She smiled a little bit, and take into account that Sawamura was just trying his best to be nice to her. Despite his attitude earlier today, it seemed to Susie that maybe he wasn't really all that scary.

Standing up, Susie gave it her best effort to look him in the face, but found herself staring at the ground instead. Her hands balled into fists, Susie quietly addressed Seiji, trying to sound grateful.

"Thank you for your thoughts...Sawamura-san. I'll make sure to come to you...if I need anything."

Seiji's mind stopped for a second, but the warmth of success quickly enveloped his brain, causing him to become a lot more relaxed along with feeling like he'd won an amazing prize. Susie glanced at him shyly, and noticed then that while she had been hating Edy's teasing this entire time, her friend was very right about Sawamura's looks. Susie had to stop herself from just staring at his face for too long in fear of embarrassing herself in his presence.

Seiji noticed that Susie was actually smiling just a little bit now. Despite the difficulties of today, he felt really good. In fact, Seiji Sawamura felt like he had won the lottery at this very moment, and the horrible emotions he had been experiencing not long before were swiftly drifting away. In his mind, he could only think about how his dream of finally ending his seventeen-year period of being without a girlfriend might actually one step closer to completion.

In his right sleeve, a very quiet and inconspicuous Midori had seen the entire thing. She could see the expression on Seiji's face, and she knew that it meant his attentions were very much on this girl more than anything else.

With jealously now filling up her little heart, Midori retreated into his sleeve and tried to stay out of the light. Her happiness was fading fast, unknown to Seiji Sawamura, whose mind was clouded by nothing less than love.


End file.
